


(we're gonna) rattle the stars

by calamidades



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Treasure Planet Fusion, Bickering, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by Treasure Planet (2002), Light Angst, M/M, Polyamory, Rivalry, Space Pirates, Temporary Character Illness, Treasure Hunting, brief oneus cameo, but dont fret this mf has a happy ending, dont be frightened away by this, fictional illness, i cant stress this enough... space pirates, its not really Major, its very important tho, set on the treasure planet universe but doesnt follow the plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-02-16 12:58:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21508324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calamidades/pseuds/calamidades
Summary: it's a known truth between the pirate scene just as the endless vastness of space: captain kim hongjoong and captain park seonghwa hate each other. they need, however, to put their differences aside and work together for a greater good.or, how the seemingly neverending feud between two stubborn captains blossoms into something new, and beautiful.
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Kang Yeosang, Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 34
Kudos: 166





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> hewwo!!! it is i and today i offer you... treasure planet au
> 
> this is partly pre-written so i plan on having somewhat consistent updates!! i have awful history with chaptered works (i always end up discontinuing them) but i'll try to make it right with this one!!
> 
> a couple of notes before you start: you dont need to have watched treasure planet before reading this (you should watch it eventually, tho!!!! its an amazing movie), but the concept of spaceships needs to be clarified, so here it goes  
> spaceships are actual Ships, sailing ships, with a vessel, mast and such, but they're powered with burning crystals as fuel, so they fly like a sci-fi spaceship. so basically imagine a fusion between classic pirate ships and sci-fi spaceships!!! there's artifical gravity to prevent the people from floating into the vacuum of space and dying so everyone is safe :]
> 
> now that this is settled... hope you enjoy your reading!!

The best way to start a pirate story would be with a scene of the captain standing on the deck of their ship, looking out at the horizon. To add a bit of flair, make it a sunset — nothing is more poetic than being lost in thought while staring at the sun slowly go down as the night comes. It would start the story with a sense of serenity, of steadiness, the calm before the storm.

This pirate story, however, doesn’t start with the captain looking out at the horizon.

There are no horizons in space.

So, instead of using horizons as a poetic resource, this story starts rather plainly: it starts with the captain lying on his bed, head dangling upside-down from the edge. His fringe flops down, too, and he looks funny as he stares intently at the map pinned to the wall opposite him.

His mom used to say that, if a map seems to be taking you nowhere, it needs to be analyzed from another perspective. She also used to say that being upside-down makes your blood rush to your brain, therefore it works better and helps you think. Right now, he’s combining those two pieces of advice into one, and hopes his mother is proud.

Our captain is a man named Kim Hongjoong. He’s in his early twenties, likes wearing dangly earrings, pilots an old scavenged ship called _Aurora_ and is currently looking for the most searched item in the whole galaxy.

People have been calling it “the Treasure” since forever. Hongjoong absolutely despises that name because of its obvious nature but, since he can’t come up with a better one himself, he sticks with it.

And anyone who claims the Treasure isn’t real can fuck off.

Three quick knocking sounds take Hongjoong out of his map-studying trance. He turns his head to the closed door.

“Come in!”

The door opens to reveal a tall man with a spyglass in hand, slightly frowning.

“Hi, captain. Just passing by to announce we’re approaching our destination, and… Well...” he trails off.

Hongjoong sighs and drags his hands down his face. “Let me guess. The route took us nowhere.”

“If it helps, there’s a habitable, populated planet nearby. It’s just not the one we’re looking for.” the other man rests his head on the doorframe. “Sorry, cap.”

“It’s alright, Mingi. We’ll find the right route eventually.” the captain offers a close-lipped smile he hopes it’s reassuring enough. “How about we stop by this planet for a bit? It’s been a long journey, we deserve to have a nice meal somewhere other than our ship’s kitchen. Gather some info on the planet and see if we can anchor down on its spaceport.”

“Alright, captain. I’ll tell Jongho to check his database, I’m sure there’ll be something there.”

“Speaking of him.” Hongjoong’s face falls. “How is he doing? I was busy with the map the whole time, I didn’t get to see him today.”

“He’s doing good.” Mingi shrugs. “If it weren’t for the mark on his wrist, I wouldn’t be able to tell he’s sick at all. It’s like nothing’s changed, only he now has that… Thing on him.”

The captain sits up and rubs his eyes, tired. “We’ll find the cure. He’ll be fine soon. I promise.”

“I know. I trust you.” the other gives him a sad smile. “I’ll get going, then. Do you need anything?”

“I’m good. Come back when you find information on the planet, okay?”

“Sure, captain. Don’t overwork yourself.”

“I won’t. Bye, Mingi.”

“Bye.”

After his first mate leaves, Hongjoong flops down on his bed, face-planting into his pillow and letting out a frustrated groan.

Another few days wasted, another dead-end, another wrong route. It just makes them seem even farther from the Treasure, and each minute that goes to waste is a loss they can’t afford. Not anymore.

Hongjoong started to search for the Treasure for the thrill of the journey — he’s always wanted to be a pirate ever since he read about the Treasure as a child. His mom being the most famous expedition captain in the galaxy and, not only that, but also the first woman to become one, only made him crave adventure even more. He always says that everything that he is today, he is because of his mother. She was his first role model, and still is, even after retiring from the occupation, and she always encouraged Hongjoong’s dreams. Granted, her son being a pirate isn’t really _ideal_ — she would much rather if he chose to be a registered expeditioner like herself — but she trusts him and his heart to make good-natured choices.

Searching for the Treasure was the adventure of a lifetime; the point where all his childhood dreams and inspirations converged to. And it was going great until a while ago. Hongjoong and his crew were doing it at their own pace, not bothering if they took a wrong route and ended up in the middle of nowhere (which, when you’re talking about space, is quite common), always wearing smiles on their faces. That laid-backness, however, ceased to be a luxury for them when Jongho, the youngest of their crew, got the Traveler’s Mark.

The Traveler’s Mark is a well-known disease between expeditioners and pirates alike. It’s nothing more than a toxic fungus that grows on a handful of planets and it’s invisible to the eye, making it impossible to detect. If it latches onto a victim, the person is, quite literally, marked to die — a dark blue patch appears on the person’s wrist, signaling they have the disease. It can be confirmed with a series of exams, easily done in any hospital, but, unfortunately, there’s no cure.

Well, no medical cure, at least. The thing is, the Treasure is rumored to contain not only tons and tons of gold, ancient items and jewels — there’s also a magical elixir, a liquid that supposedly cures all illnesses. Hongjoong and the other boys didn’t really care about the Treasure’s contents, the adventure being enough of a reason for them to look for it, but with Jongho getting the Traveler’s Mark finding that elixir became a priority. So now, every dead-end, every wrong route means more time wasted — and, as much as they hate to think about it, _less_ time left for Jongho.

Shaking away the worrisome thoughts for the time being, Hongjoong gets up from his bed and walks towards the map on the wall, ready to analyze it again. By now, he already has every inch of the paper memorized, and doesn’t get _why_ it never takes them to the correct destination.

He found the map in one of his many adventures, previous to the search for the Treasure. It seemed too good to be true at first — come on, a _map_ leading to the most sought after item in the whole galaxy? Just like that? And, indeed, it wasn’t that easy, as for some words were coded, like the map was first an enigma to be solved, before being a bearer of instructions. Eventually, Hongjoong deciphered everything, and the place on the map indicated as the Treasure was close to where rumors and books said it was located. 

The map became their one and only guide — the captain just doesn’t get why it isn’t taking them anywhere even remotely valuable.

He’s about to unpin the map from the wall when Mingi shows up at the door again, this time holding a datapad.

“Hey, captain, I bring news.”

Hongjoong approaches the taller man. “What is it?”

“So, the planet we’re close to is a small one, called Ecilles.” Mingi points at the picture that shows up on the datapad. “It’s mostly a rural planet, so the city life isn’t busy like our home, for example. They’re not too big on exports either, so the spaceport will most likely have a vacant spot for us. From what I see here, it can be an enjoyable stay while we prepare for our next journey.”

“Perfect. Maybe a change of scenery will make me look at this from a different light, and maybe then I’ll notice something I haven’t before.” Hongjoong finishes unpinning the map and folds it, clutching it tightly in his hands.

“I’m sure it will. I have a good feeling about this.”

The captain refrains from saying that Mingi always has a good feeling about their journeys, even when they end up being pointless. Maybe he could use some of his first mate’s optimism. He claps the other on the shoulder, smiling.

“Tell Wooyoung to set the course to Ecilles.”

* * *

All the information they found about Ecilles seems spot on from the moment the crew gets out of their ship. The planet’s spaceport is small, with only a couple of cargo ships docked and, after they leave the area, the boys are met with an equally small portuary zone — food stalls on the street, one souvenir shop, a few restaurants here and there, none of them looking crowded. To their left, a road that seems to lead to the actual city.

They’re about to head to the city to find a place to stay for the night when Jongho asks to stop for coffee. He points to what looks like a coffee shop right beside the souvenir store, and Hongjoong has no idea if Ecillean coffee is any good, but figures there’s no problem in checking the place out.

The place definitely smells like the coffeeshops Hongjoong is used to — maybe even a little better. He wonders if agriculture is Ecilles’ strongest suit, with it being mostly rural and all, and if so, if that’s the reason their coffee smells so good. They must have special beans, his brain suggests. Or something like that.

The four boys choose a booth and, after taking a look at the menu, everyone decides to order something, either to eat or to drink. Letting his leader habits take over, Hongjoong offers to order for everyone, even if he struggles a little to memorize Wooyoung’s coffee order ( _was it two or three pumps of espresso?_ ).

He’s in the middle of walking to the cashier to order when a voice behind him makes him stop in his tracks.

“Well, if it isn’t Kim Hongjoong.”

He knows that voice. As much as he’d hate to admit, Hongjoong would recognize that smooth, poised tone anywhere in the galaxy. Annoyed, he turns around and, of course, is met with Captain Park Seonghwa — in the flesh, bone, and blatant insufferableness.

And, _oh_ , he’s blonde now. He looks like a ghost.

(It kinda suits him.)

“I believe there’s a ‘captain’ missing in that phrase.” Hongjoong says, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Sorry.” Seonghwa smirks, looking amused. “Let me rephrase that, then.” he clears his throat. “Well, if it isn’t _Captain_ Kim Hongjoong. I see you finally got rid of that hideous mullet you had a while ago. What brings you here?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Can’t I ask a fellow pirate why he’s seemingly taking a vacation on the same planet as I am?”

“I’m _not_ taking a vacation.” Hongjoong glares at the other man. “My crew and I stopped by to rest for a bit while we prepare for our last journey.”

“Oh, I see.” Seonghwa then notices the folded map peeking from Hongjoong’s jacket pocket. “Ah, so you still carry your trusty map around. Has it been helpful?”

“Again, _why_ do you care?”

“I’m just curious by nature, Hongjoong. If you have a map, you should be really close to the Treasure, right?”

“That’s none of your business. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was about to order something. Have a nice day, or don’t, I don’t care.”

Hongjoong starts turning around to walk to where the cashier is, but Seonghwa grabs him by the wrist, stopping him. He rolls his eyes while turning again to face the other man.

“Just tell me what you want and stop bothering me, goddamnit-“

The expression he’s met with, however, isn’t teasing or sarcastic in the slightest. There’s a serious look on the other’s eyes, and Hongjoong is confused. He knows Seonghwa is a serious man in general, and a competent captain despite their mutual quarrel, but he’s never acted like that around Hongjoong. Somehow, not seeing Seonghwa’s insufferable side for a moment unsettles him.

“What I want”, the blonde starts, in a low tone. “Is for you to just get your head out of your ass and answer me, because I think that matter is kind of my business too.”

“Let go of my wrist and tell me why it would be your business, and you get your answer.”

Seonghwa sighs and uncurls his fingers from around the shorter’s wrist. “I have a map too. And it isn’t taking me anywhere.”

Hongjoong splutters. “I beg your pardon?”

“Your heard it right. I have a map, it was coded, we managed to translate it, and now the paper just seems to be fucking with us for fun. The routes don’t take us anywhere relevant, not even to places that could have a new clue, or another map. And I don’t get it.”

“And?” Hongjoong crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow. “Do you want my help or something?”

“Would you stop being so defensive?” Seonghwa says, a little desperate, running a hand through his hair. “I was going to ask if you were experiencing the same problem. But if you want to help, it’d be appreciated. Though I highly doubt your egotistical ass would do something like that.”

“That’s the second time you mention my ass on this conversation. Something you want to tell me?”

The blonde rolls his eyes and scowls, starting to walk away. “You’re hopeless. I’ll never try to hold a civil conversation with you again.”

“No, wait, sorry.” it’s Hongjoong’s turn to grab the other’s wrist. “I’m just… Not used to talking seriously with you.”

“Well, try to make an effort this time.” Seonghwa shrugs Hongjoong’s hand off. “So?”

“Yes, I’m having the same problem. I’ve tried everything, and nothing works. So I guess even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to help.”

“Can I see it?”

“What?”

“Can I see your map?”

“Why would that be helpful?” Hongjoong arches an eyebrow.

“Are you really that dense or are you being difficult on purpose? God.” Seonghwa groans in frustration. “If our maps are identical, then it’s most likely they’re both a fraud and we’re being played, which is what I’m assuming at the moment. But, if they’re different, it’s easier to conclude one of them is legit, and the _other_ is the fraud.”

“Did you just use the word ‘legit’ in a serious sentence?”

“Hongjoong.”

“Sorry. Yes, you can look at the map, if that’ll ease your worries. Here.” Hongjoong is about to take the folded paper out of his pocket when the other’s voice stops him.

“Not here! Are you really that reckless?” the blonde hisses. “It’s already risky enough to be _talking_ about such things out in the open — now you want to whip out a map that allegedly leads to the Treasure in front of everyone? Why not hand it out to them properly, then, huh?”

“You’re the most uptight person I’ve ever met. Don’t take it as a compliment.” Hongjoong huffs as he crosses his arms, the puff of air blowing his fringe away from his forehead for a moment. He notices Seonghwa bite back a laugh over the sight but, to avoid even more bickering, he ignores it. “What do you suggest, then?”

“Go order what you were going to order before we started talking and meet me outside when you’re done. I’ll walk you to the place my crew and I are staying. We can talk safely there.”

“Are we going to discuss secret navigation business in a _hotel room_?”

Hongjoong realizes that he’s pretty much agreeing to _join forces_ with Seonghwa, even if it’s just for a little while. The thought still makes his cringe as if he had bitten into a lemon, but he finds himself minding it way less than he thought he would. 

Weird. He never thought he would agree to anything even remotely closer to an allyship with his number one rival.

Seonghwa smiles at his question. It’s not sarcastic nor teasing — it looks almost (and Hongjoong despises his brain for even associating that word with the blonde) _soft_. Amusedly soft. “I’d say our place is very far from a hotel room, but yes, that’s where we’ll be discussing. You’re welcome to bring your crew along. The place is big enough.”

“I don’t think I trust Wooyoung and Yeosang together in the same room. How can you assure me they won’t kill each other?”

“Well, I can’t assure anything, but if we can put our differences aside to sort this map thing out, so can they.”

“We don’t have ‘differences’.” Hongjoong makes air-quotes with his fingers. “We’re rivals. And I think you’re an asshole.”

“Yeah, the feeling is mutual.” Seonghwa bites back. “So, do we have a deal?”

“Sure, whatever. I’ll meet you after I’m done with the orders.”

“I’ll be waiting, then. Try not to take ages.”

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do.” Hongjoong grumbles, but the other is already out of earshot. All there’s left to see is his retreating back, clad in a fitted leather jacket.

_Pretentious asshole_.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Hongjoong and Seonghwa go way back. Well, not really _way back_ , as they’re both pretty young, but long enough.

Both pirates were still newbies on that occupation when they first met. It was a weekend night, if Hongjoong’s memory doesn’t fail him, and he was visiting a planet from the same star system as his own, looking for nothing in particular — maybe some addition to his crew, maybe someone to offer him a mission, but he’d be content with only a nice night out.

This area of the planet was quite technological-oriented, and it’s aesthetic followed suit. He ended up in a club, bright neon lights surrounding him and heavy bass thumping loudly in sync with his own heartbeats. The club scene wasn’t really up Hongjoong’s alley — he loved music, but dancing and mingling… Not his thing — but it seemed like the only entertainment option in that area, apart from expensive-looking arcades, so he resigned.

He was sitting at the bar, nursing a non-alcoholic sparkly blue drink, when his eyes landed in what was probably the most dazzling man he had ever seen.

Hongjoong was awestruck for a while, admiring the stranger from afar. From his silky black hair, beautiful eyes and rosy lips, to the outfit he was wearing, a very attractive mix of red and black, Hongjoong was mesmerized. The man then locked eyes with him, quirking up a questioning eyebrow, and Hongjoong almost collapsed on the spot, looking away as a blush crept up his neck. He heard footsteps — the stranger was approaching him. _Please, don’t say anything,_ he thought, _please don’t say anything_ —

“Can I help you?” a smooth voice asked. 

“Uh.” Hongjoong very intelligently replied. “Sorry about that, I was, uh. Spacing out. Didn’t notice I was staring at someone. Sorry.”

The other chuckled. “It’s okay. It happens.” he sat on the stool next to Hongjoong. 

_He’s even more stunning up close._

Hongjoong then noticed a very specific item pinned to the man’s jacket.

“That’s a nice pirate insignia you’ve got there.” he points subtly to the pin.

“I could say the same for you.” the other replies swiftly, extending a hand. “Captain Park Seonghwa. It’s nice to meet you.”

Seonghwa has a firm handshake, Hongjoong notices. His hand is a little calloused, but warm. “Likewise. I’m Captain Kim Hongjoong.”

“Oh, we’re both captains." Seonghwa smiled charmingly. Or maybe it was a regular smile and Hongjoong was just weak. "That's nice. How long have you been one?"

"Not long. Couple of months."

"Me too! What a coincidence." the taller sounded so happy, it was endearing. "So, where did you finish your ship administration course?"

Hongjoong furrowed his brows, confused. "Uh… I didn't…?"

"Oh, you're still studying? That's cool. And brave, actually. How do you manage to be both a pirate and a student? Must be time consuming…"

"No, like, I've never studied ship administration. I took a navigation course after school, but I didn't get to actually graduate. Dropped out on my last semester."

Seonghwa frowned. "You're a captain, but didn't study to become one?"

Hongjoong absolutely did not like where that was going. He heard the note of disdain on the other's voice, and any trace of attraction he could've felt instantly vanished, leaving space for annoyance to bloom.

"My mom is a captain, she taught me how to be one. I studied navigation because I like it, and it's a useful skill."

"Do you even _have_ a crew?" the black-haired man scoffed. 

"Only a pilot, for now. I'm looking for more members." Hongjoong crossed his arms. "And he _did_ study to become a pilot, if you're wondering. He's freshly graduated with honors from the Academy."

"Impressive. But I still can't get my head around the fact that you're a homeschooled captain."

"Well, I can't get my head around the fact that a fellow captain, who supposedly should be a selfless, open-minded person, is a pretentious asshole, and yet there you are." Hongjoong spits out, getting up from the stool. "Have a good day. Or don't. Whatever."

He wishes that was the last time he saw Seonghwa. But, with both being pirates, they crossed paths very often. Their animosity turned into rivalry, which only increased over the years — and was a pretty well-known thing in the pirate scene.

Which is why the boys from Seonghwa’s crew look so surprised when they arrive together at the room they’re staying at, in a modest yet comfortable inn just outside the portuary zone. 

“Uh… Am I seeing things right?” a blonde boy — Hongjoong thinks his name is San — asks, pinching his own arm. “Are you two, like, less than two feet apart and _not_ killing each other?”

“I guess miracles do exist.” another boy — Yunho? He doesn’t remember — elbows the blonde and chuckles.

“It’s not a miracle.” Seonghwa tells them, but smiles anyway as he enters the room. “It’s more of a self-control exercise because of a mutual interest.” he turns to Hongjoong and his crew. “Come in, come in.” 

The five boys enter, and Wooyoung’s expression immediately hardens when he spots Yeosang sitting on one of the beds. Hongjoong doesn’t know why his pilot and Seonghwa’s navigator hate each other so much, but he knows he’s not really in a place to judge. Also, he’s tried to ask Wooyoung about it but to no avail, so he leaves it be.

“Hongjoong, you can put your map over there.” Seonghwa points to a table. “It’s where mine is, too.”

Hongjoong does just that, placing his folded map next to an almost identical one, folded in smaller parts. “What now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you invite me here so we could study our maps together? Or are we going to have some tea first?”

“We don’t need tea, we brought coffee.” Mingi pipes in, turning to the other boys in the room. “You guys want some?”

Hongjoong rolls his eyes at his first mate, but there’s no real bite to it. It’s an interesting phenomenon — despite him and Seonghwa always being at each other's throats, their respective crew members (save from Wooyoung and Yeosang) get on really well. He chuckles as he sees Mingi give San half a bagel.

Someone clears their throat beside him, and he turns to see Seonghwa starting to unfold his map. “Shall we?”

Hongjoong nods, mimicking the blonde’s movements until they have the two maps laid out on the table in front of them.

The maps, at first glance, look the same. It’s weird — there shouldn’t be more copies of a map that supposedly leads to the Treasure, right? Hongjoong lets out a sigh at the thought of having been following a fraudulent map for so long, but then his eyes catch on something, and he regains hope.

“They’re different.” he says.

“Mhmm. I noticed.” Seonghwa nods, and points to a section of his own map. “Look, my map doesn’t have that U-turn at Monsoon Nebula. Yours does.”

“Also” Hongjoong adds, tapping with the tip of his index finger on the other’s map. “This section over here is labeled as Ceasar’s Belt. My map has the same section, but it isn’t specified as anything — I’ve been thinking it was a random route all the time.”

“That’s so weird.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So, either one of them is right and the other is wrong…” Seonghwa muses.

“... Or they’re both wrong and there’s a correct one somewhere in the galaxy.” Hongjoong finishes the train of thought. “Which I really, really hope there isn’t. It'd be impossible to find.”

“Yeah, you and me both. So?”

“So what?”

“You’re a navigator, Hongjoong. A good one, as much as I hate to admit.”

“Yes I am, thank you for the compliment. I’m still not following.”

The blonde sighs. “I never know when you’re playing dumb on purpose or when you’re actually clueless. What I’m trying to say is, can’t you recognize which one is the correct map?”

“I might be one hell of a navigator, Seonghwa, but I’m not clairvoyant.” Hongjoong quips. “Or well-versed in faking items. To me, they both look like real maps leading to the same thing, only with slightly different routes. It’s impossible to know which one is the right one, unless we follow them. Which we already did, and it wasn’t really of any help.”

“So they’re both wrong.” Seonghwa states. “Is that what you’re implying?”

“I’m not implying anything, I’m _stating_ that this is more complex than you think. It’s not something I can solve with a single look-over. I’m not even sure if I can solve it at all.”

“Guess you’re not as good as I thought, then.” the blonde shrugs. “That’s a shame.”

That makes Hongjoong's blood boil. He steps closer to Seonghwa, forgetting the maps in order to confront the other. “Figure the map out by yourself, then. I’d like to see you try.”

“I’m sure I could do a better work than your lazy self.”

“Then be my fucking guest.”

“Uh. Hey, you two.” a voice interrupts them. Both captains stop glaring at each other to look at its owner, finding Yeosang standing in front of the table where the maps are laid out. “Can you stop that weird aggressive flirting for a second? I think I’ve come up with a solution for the map issue while you were, uh, doing whatever over there.”

Hongjoong goes bright red at the younger’s implication, his cheeks almost matching the color of his hair. “We weren’t fl-“

“Not the time, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa cuts him off. “Not the time. What did you do to solve the problem, Sang?”

Yeosang makes jazz hands at the table, where the maps are not side by side anymore — they’re overlaid, one on top of the other, creating a new map. The sections that are the same on both of them are now more visible, the lines stronger, and everything that belonged to one, but not the other, can barely be recognized, the lines faded and messy.

“I just thought we should combine the two maps.” Yeosang explains. “The common elements are the correct ones, and the rest is disposable. For example, that detour near the Canary System our map had? Useless. That U-turn on Monsoon Nebula you mentioned? Useless. Also, some names were missing on both maps, like Ceasar’s Belt on yours, the Lemir Moons on ours, a bunch of others, but now we have all of them. So neither of the maps were frauds — they were just separate puzzle pieces.”

“That… Makes a lot of sense.” Hongjoong marvels. “I never would’ve thought of trying that. I think I’d cut up the maps and try to rearrange them before considering they completed each other.”

The younger smiles. “Different navigators, different perspectives. It’s bound to happen. As much as we study, our science can’t be precise by itself all the time. Sometimes, we need our creativity to do part of the work.”

Hongjoong nods, sympathetic. “That’s true. You did a good job. Congrats.”

“Thank you.”

“You were amazing as always, Yeosang.” Seonghwa ruffles the boy’s hair fondly. “We always say you’re a genius, don’t we? You better start believing us.”

“Stop it. It’s nothing! Anyone could’ve thought of it.”

“No, he’s right, don’t sell yourself short.” Hongjoong says. “You’re good.”

“Wait, wait, are you _agreeing_ on something?” Yeosang chuckles. “Maybe I really shouldn’t doubt my power, I just worked a miracle.”

The other boys from both crews, who were listening and paying attention, snort at that remark.

“No, but really.” the young navigator points to both captains. “That was scary. I never thought I would witness such thing. Which is why, since my job here is done, I’ll retreat myself to process what just happened.”

“Oh, shut up, it’s not that big of a deal, you little shit.” Seonghwa flicks Yeosang’s forehead. He does it again, aiming for his ear this time, but the younger dodges his hand. “But you can go rest if you want to. Hongjoong and I will discuss what to do now that you solved our issue.”

With a smile and a nod to both captains, Yeosang goes back to where he was before, plopped down on a bed with a book on his hands.

Seonghwa turns to Hongjoong. “So.”

“So.”

“Our maps complete each other.”

“Yup.”

“And I assume neither of us is going to give up their map to the other.”

“That shouldn’t even be on the table.”

“Right. So, you know what that implies, right?”

“Yes.” Hongjoong grumbles, crossing his arms. “And I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I, but it’s that or nothing at all. We both want the Treasure, so-“

“No.” the red-haired man interrupts. “ _You_ want the Treasure. My crew _needs_ it. We’re not giving up on it, understand?”

“Oh, please.” Seonghwa scoffs. “There’s hardly a difference.”

“There is. Believe me, we need the Treasure, or at least part of it, more than you do.”

“How? How can your situation possibly be different-“

“Jongho has The Mark.” Hongjoong says, voice low.

The blonde splutters. “W-What?”

“Our youngest. He’s got The Traveler’s Mark. We need the Treasure so the elixir can cure him.”

Seonghwa’s expression falls. “I’m so sorry.” he sighs. “Both for his condition and for pressing you on that subject.”

Hongjoong runs his hand down his face. “You didn’t know. I can’t hold you to it.”

A beat of silence passes before the blonde asks: “How long?”

“A few months.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You already said that.”

“I know, it’s just- I’m shocked.”

“We all were. But it’s gonna be okay. We’ll find the elixir. Jongho will be fine.”

“He will. We will find the Treasure.” a pause. “But… You know. Because of the maps we- We’ll have to do it together.”

“I know. It’s the only way.” Hongjoong fiddles with the cuffs of his jacket. “You and your crew can keep the gold and the honor, if that’s your price. We just need the elixir. And, well, the thrill of the journey, but that’s a bonus.” he adds with a dry chuckle.

“Our price?” Seonghwa’s eyebrows furrow. “Hongjoong, this isn’t a trade. It’s a collaboration. I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but we’re allies now. If our maps only work together, then we’ll have to do so too. As much as we have our… Rivalry. If we get to the Treasure-“

“We _will_.”

“Ok, _when_ we get to the Treasure, you guys get the elixir and the rest will be split evenly. Who knows how much gold there is! How we split our loot is not a mandatory concern.”

“And what is?”

“Well, for starters, _how_ this whole thing will work. We’re obviously going on my ship-“

Hongjoong scoffs. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. _Aurora_ is a bigger ship, with bigger quarters, it can fit both crews better.”

“That piece of junk will give out if it carries more than the usual four people.” the blonde quips.

“Okay, and that little sailboat of yours _definitely_ has space for eight people.” the other replies, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“First of all, _Crescent_ was not a sailboat. Second of all, we have a new ship. And I mean _new_ , in all senses of the word.”

“Is it bigger than _Aurora_?”

“No, I guess not. But it still can fit the eight of us.”

Hongjoong huffs, impatient. “Okay, another approach. Who’s your pilot?”

“Mostly San. Sometimes myself.” Seonghwa quirks up an eyebrow. “Why, are you implying we’re not competent enough?”

“That’s not it, you’re both good.” the shorter says. “But Wooyoung is faster.”

“Wooyoung is _reckless_. There’s a difference.”

“We’re on a fucking _treasure hunt_ , Seonghwa. We can’t afford the luxury of being slow, or overly careful.”

The blonde sighs in defeat. “You have a point. We can go on your ship.”

Hongjoong smiles smugly. “Fantastic. So, we’re doing this together, right?”

“Right. We’re a team.”

“Temporarily.” the red-haired adds.

“Yeah, of course. So, do we have a deal?” Seonghwa extends his hand.

“Yes, we have a deal.”

And Hongjoong does what he never thought he’d do in a million years.

He shakes Seonghwa’s hand.


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! missed me?
> 
> the semester is over & im finally college-free until next year so i hope to write more & update more consistently!! pls dont give up on me 👉👈
> 
> w/o further ado, enjoy the chapter, happy reading!!

As soon as possible, the newly-formed team leaves Ecilles. Before going on board in the _Aurora_ , Seonghwa leaves his own ship, _Utopia_ , with Eden — a trustworthy keeper who owns a warehouse in a planet nearby, and is also in possession of the captain's old ship, _Crescent_.

When their ship is safe, Seonghwa’s crew get settled on _Aurora_ ’s vacant quarters — which, for an old, scavenged ship, are a lot. It’s an easy move-in and, save from the eventual jabs between the two captains, it goes without a hitch.

The newly formed team is quick to start following the route their combined maps provided. Wooyoung positions himself behind the wheel, squared shoulders and eyes dead set on the void of space in front of him. The pilot is usually a bright person, even on duty — but he knows the urgency of their situation. Once they progress more on the route, once they’re already a few light-years ahead, he’ll relax. But not yet.

Hongjoong stands by his side, joined maps in hand. In between talks about the direction they’re going, the captain decides to delve into a different, but still important, topic.

“You know, you’ll have to talk to him eventually, right?”

“Talk to who?” Wooyoung asks, still not averting his gaze.

“Yeosang.”

“Yeah, not happening.”

“Wooyoung, you’re a pilot, he’s a navigator. You two are bound to work together.”

“You’re a navigator too. I don’t need him.”

“That’s not my only duty on this ship and you know it.” Hongjoong chides. “Look, I’m saying this as your friend, but also as your captain. You’re very aware that our mission demands teamwork, so you better forget whatever grudge you hold with Yeosang, or at least bury it deep enough for you to be civil with him. We can’t let fights or animosity slow us down, Wooyoung.”

The pilot sighs. “I know we can’t. But it’s difficult. You understand me better than anyone, I mean, you’re basically co-captaining with Seonghwa. I know you’re not pleased about the situation either.”

“I’m not, but at least I’m making an effort.” the captain frowns. “I’m not asking you to be best friends with the guy, just ignore your mutual feud enough to talk to him about the map if you need to.”

“Okay, fine.” Wooyoung accepts, defeated. “If it’s needed, I won’t oppose to talking to him.”

“Good. Thank you, Wooyoung.”

“But did you talk to Yeosang about it? I’m not sure if he’ll agree like I did.”

“I did talk to him, actually. He already agreed.” Hongjoong shrugs, then smirks at the younger. “You know, he said the same thing about you. About not agreeing as easily as him.”

“Oh, tell him to fuck off.” the pilot grumbles, looking down with a pout. “We both know _he_ is the stubborn one between the both of us…”

“I’m absolutely _not_ telling him to fuck off in your behalf. But I’m glad we sorted this out.” the captain pats Wooyoung’s shoulder. “Who knows, maybe you’ll even become friends.”

“You’re pushing it.” Wooyoung warns, raising one eyebrow.

Hongjoong chuckles at his stubbornness. “Sorry, sorry, I’ll stop. Hey, Woo, are you good being on your own for a while? I was going to check on the rest of the ship, see if they need me, stuff like that.”

“No problem, I’m fine. We’re mostly going on a straight line for at least 40 minutes, so there shouldn’t be any trouble.”

“Awesome. Yell at me if you need anything, alright?”

“Aye, captain.” Wooyoung gives him a short salute and his attention goes back to the ship’s wheel exclusively.

Hongjoong leaves the main deck and walks around, inspecting the ship. It’s not long before the distinct smell of food being cooked hits his nose, making him head to the kitchen, intrigued.

As soon as he arrives, he’s met with a rather surprising sight. Jongho, Mingi and two boys from Seonghwa’s crew are sitting at the table, chatting, and, on the stove, preparing a meal, is Seonghwa himself. He’s stirring something in a pot, and there’s a bowl of vegetables right by his side, on top of the counter. Hongjoong hates to admit it but, whatever the food is, it smells delicious.

He clears his throat. “What is going on here?”

Jongho turns to him and smiles. “Seonghwa is making us soup.”

“Oh, is he?”

“Stop with the questioning tone, Kim.” Seonghwa says, not looking up from what he’s cooking. “I was with the boys, and they complained about being hungry so I asked Mingi and Jongho to show me where the kitchen was so I could make them something.” he explains. “Which I’m glad I did, because what I saw in this ship’s pantry was, no offense, terrible. Really, how did you and your crew survive? I’m thankful I brought _our_ food supplies when we moved to _Aurora_ because there would be no way to feed eight people with what you had in here.”

“Are you done roasting my kitchen?” Hongjoong grumbles.

“Oh, darling, not even started.” the blonde turns off the stove and puts a lid on the pot, leaving its contents to chill. He turns to Hongjoong with his arms crossed, leaning his hip on the counter. “Your pantry was 80% frozen, artificial garbage and the rest was sub-quality meat. And then _your_ crew said you’re terrible in the kitchen, so.”

The captain looks at Jongho and Mingi, scandalized expression. “You said that?”

“No!” the youngest shakes his head. “I said none of us can cook apart from pre-made stuff and grilling meat.”

“Same thing.” Seonghwa shrugs, smirking at Hongjoong’s direction. Then, he turns to the seated boys and his expression changes to a friendly smile. “Soup will be ready in a few, I’m just letting it sit for a while.” he pats one of his crewmates’ head before joining them at the table.

Hongjoong just stands in place, baffled — not only because he’s annoyed at Seonghwa for mocking his cooking abilities, but also because he’s witnessing the other being genuinely _nice_ to people, including people from Hongjoong’s own crew. Seeing this sparks mixed feelings inside the captain: initially, he thought Seonghwa was an asshole in general, regardless of the person he was interacting with, but now that he sees that it clearly isn’t the case, Hongjoong doesn’t know what to think. Is the blonde a pretentious, arrogant, annoying prick only when he’s talking to _him_ ? Is he nice to anyone else _except_ Hongjoong? If so, why? And the scariest question that’s ringing inside the captain’s brain:

Why does seeing Seonghwa being sweet to other people make Hongjoong wish he was in their position?

Rationally, that doesn’t make sense. It’s a question that dialogues with a feeling of jealousy, which would imply he, in some way, wants Seonghwa’s attention. Which he doesn’t. Maybe it’s his hurt pride taking the best of him, making him feel bad that he’s the only one who the blonde is rude to, and he _doesn’t know why_. Being insulted and clueless resonates a little better with Hongjoong, so he settles for that explanation.

Realizing he’s still standing in the middle of the kitchen, Hongjoong shakes himself out of his own thoughts and turns to leave, throwing a hasty goodbye while doing it. Mingi’s voice, however, makes him stop in his tracks.

“You’re not staying for the soup?”

“Nah, I don’t want to intrude.” the captain half-assedly excuses himself. “You guys enjoy your meal.”

“You sure?” 

“Mhmm. It’s fine.”

“There’s plenty of food for all of us, you know.” that’s not Mingi’s voice — it’s Seonghwa. “Eat with us.”

His tone is not demanding or annoyed. On the contrary, he sounds kind and inviting. Hongjoong never thought he’d see Seonghwa sounding anything remotely close to _kind_ , at least not with him. There’s even a smile gracing his face, and it’s a genuine smile, not a sarcastic smirk. Without even noticing, the captains furrows his brows at the unfamiliarity of the sight.

That reaction causes the blonde to snort. “What?”

“Why are you asking me to join you?”

“Your friends want you to eat with us, I’m not opposed, so I’m helping them persuade you.” Seonghwa says like it’s the simplest thing in the universe. “I’m not going to poison your bowl of soup, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m genuinely being nice here.”

“Are you even capable of that?” Hongjoong quips.

“Ouch.” the older brings a hand to clutch his chest, over his heart. “Well, you can’t say I’m not trying. But suit yourself, do whatever floats your boat.”

Hongjoong grumbles and ponders his options. He has nothing against staying and eating soup with them, he really doesn’t. But why does Seonghwa have to be so infuriating? Even when he’s being — allegedly — nice, he gets on his nerves. And, to be quite honest, Hongjoong is not ready for everyday to be like this. He knows he’s partially at fault too — none of them treats the other well, they never have — , but he’s growing tired. 

Tired of having so many negative feelings towards one single person. He can’t help it, but he wishes it would stop.

That’s probably why he caves in and pulls a chair for himself. He refuses to look at Seonghwa, opting to interact with his own crewmates who are happy he joined them, so he misses the smile that graces the blonde’s face as he gets up to fetch the pot of soup. 

Hongjoong hates to admit it, but the soup tastes great. It’s simple, but delicious — his thoughts, however, are not voiced out, as he doesn’t want to give Seonghwa this small victory over him. They eat mostly in silence, a few bursts of conversation sparking here and there between the younger boys from both crews. Hongjoong is happy that at least _they_ seem to get along with each other.

As soon as he finishes eating, the captain gets up from his chair, murmurs a general “thanks” and leaves, foregoing his usual habit of at least putting the used dishes into the sink. He’s a little confused by the Seonghwa incident, so he’s set on avoiding being in the older’s presence until he forgets what happened. 

That proves itself to be a little more difficult than he thought because, as Hongjoong walks towards the main deck, someone speaks up from behind him.

“You didn’t even put your bowl in the sink.”

He suppresses the annoyed groan that’s his usual default reaction to everything Seonghwa says and turns around to face the blonde. “Sorry about my lack of manners. Do you want me to go back and wash the dishes?”

“Nah, San is already doing it for us.” Seonghwa steps closer. “Why did you run off?”

“I didn’t.”

“You did. And, I mean, that’s okay if you had somewhere else to be, but it didn’t seem like the case.” Fucking smartass. He thinks he’s always right, doesn’t he? “Is there anything wrong?”

“No, nothing. I’m fine, I just wanted to leave.”

Seonghwa nods, and Hongjoong thinks he’s finally going to be left alone, but the other man tilts his head to the side and starts talking again.

“Was it because of me?”

Seeing no point in denying, the captain shrugs. “You could say so.”

He doesn’t expect Seonghwa to sigh and look down — he looks almost _hurt_ , but that can’t be. Right?

“You really do hate me that much, don’t you.” the older chuckles bitterly, stating it like a fact, not a question.

“It’s not hatred, I-” Hongjoong stutters. “Hate is a strong word. Yes, I’m not your biggest fan in the galaxy, but that was, uh, not why I left. Not this time.”

“What was it, then?”

“It was because you were playing nice.” the captain admits. “It was… Confusing.”  
  


“I wasn’t playing. I was trying to be nice for real.”

“Well, there is it. I never know when you’re playing or when you’re being sarcastic and that confuses me, so I left. To clear my mind.”

A playful smirk takes over Seonghwa’s face. “Am I so powerful that you have to take a walk to get me off your mind?” he asks, with a convinced tone. “I’m flattered.”

“See? That’s exactly _why_ I have trust issues with you.” Hongjoong grumbles. “I thought we were having a civil, honest conversation.”  
  


“We were. Sorry for ruining the mood.” the smile is still there, but it’s dimmed. Hongjoong still wants to wipe it off. “Well, Kim, let me clear your mind for you, okay? Your feelings for me are mutual. I’m also not your biggest fan in the galaxy, _but_ I’m willing to put those things aside for the time being. I won’t shower you in hugs and kisses, but we agreed to be civil and respectful in order to keep this mission from going haywire. In other circumstances, I’d have no reason to be nice to you, but right now I do, so no, I’m not faking anything. I’m being genuine. So save your confusion to something else, because I’ve been making my intentions clear since I stepped into this old bathtub.”

Seonghwa speaks with intent. He always has, Hongjoong is aware. That doesn’t stop him from being a little taken aback by the older’s words right now, though. They’re assertive and certain, and they come off so clear Hongjoong knows he’s telling the truth. There are rare moments in which he feels things other than annoyance and anger towards Seonghwa — right now, he feels a tiny smudge of respect. 

The captain nods slowly. “Thank you. For being honest.”

“Don’t mention it. Glad we could talk things out.” Seonghwa turns to leave, but Hongjoong calls him back.

“Your soup was delicious.”

He doesn’t know why he says it. Probably because he feels like he owes the blonde some honesty and niceness, too. 

Seonghwa chuckles at that. “Are you faking it or being nice for real?”

“Ha ha, very funny. I’m being serious. I wasn’t going to stroke your ego after you insulted my cooking skills, but I wanted to retribute the honesty.” 

“Aw, thank you, darling.” the blonde says with a grin that’s too sweet and leaning towards the teasing feeling, but Hongjoong knows the gratitude is there. “Does that mean we’re officially on truce?”

“We were already on truce.”

“Yeah, but there were clearly things we still needed to discuss.”

Hongjoong sighs. “True.”

“So… Truce?”

“Stop calling me darling.” the captain quips. “Then we’ll see.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


Wooyoung has been a pilot for years. He’s never been so sure of something as he’s sure he belongs behind a wheel. He trusts himself to take any ship anywhere in the galaxy. He thought he would sail smoothly in any situation, be it good or rough. He’s been guiding _Aurora_ and the rest of his crew towards the Treasure for a few days now, and he _knows_ he’s doing a great job.

Wooyoung is confident. He mostly keeps himself humble, but he’s confident in his own skills.

That confidence, however, washes away quickly as a strong force hits the ship, making it sway to the side and causing Wooyoung to stumble. 

“What the _fuck_?” he screams. 

The first thing Wooyoung does after pulling himself up is regain his grip on the wheel, which is now spinning like crazy from the outside impact. Aurora was never a light ship to pilot, considering it’s an old vessel, but right now it’s ridiculous the amount of force the boy needs to use to hold the wheel in its place.

After securing the wheel in his grip and making sure the ship would stay in line, Wooyoung looks around for the source of the impact. And boy, does he not like what he sees.

The pilot lets out his second “what the fuck” of the day as his eyes register an explosion, not close enough to harm the vessel or the tripulation, but close enough to send a whole ship flying, apparently. His grip on the wheel is vice-like as he propels the ship to the opposite side of where the explosion is happening, but it soon proves to be a useless move, because he’s met with a new, albeit smaller, explosion. 

He’s stuck. _The ship_ is stuck. Until Wooyoung figures the nature of the explosions, there’s no way he can determine when they’ll stop, when it’ll be safe for him to move, if ever. He needs a co-pilot, or a navigator — and he needs it badly.

Wooyoung is so caught up in the situation that he barely registers the sound of hurried footsteps, coming to a stop a couple of feet behind him. He silently begs it’s Hongjoong because, more than needing a navigator, he needs someone he can _talk_ to, debate their situation, and the captain would be the perfect person for that.

Clearly, he has no such luck, because the voice he hears, despite being loud in order to be heard over the explosions, is deeper than Hongjoong’s. And the fact that Wooyoung immediately recognizes its owner makes him facepalm internally.

“They’re stars.” Yeosang shouts, not particularly at the pilot. “Those are stars exploding.”

“Are you kidding me?” Wooyoung screams back, turning to the other. Yeosang has his navigation datapad in hands, and his legs shake a little to keep his balance, seeing as he’s not holding onto anything to steady himself. Idiot. “ _Exploding_?”

“We’re going straight into a gap between two stars. They shouldn’t be exploding on us right now, but they _are_ , so there’s nothing we can do.” the navigator scowls at Wooyoung. “Why did you even choose this route, anyway? Do you know how _unsafe_ it is to come this close to celestial bodies? _Specially_ giant balls of gas and heat?”

“We’re not so close to the stars, we should be safe! And we had three routes. One of them was blocked by an asteroid belt, this was the fastest between the other two.”

“Well, congratulations, genius, now we’re all going to die because _you_ couldn’t afford to be a responsible pilot and take the safe route for once!”

“ _We_ can’t afford to be slow right now, there’s a life on the line.” Wooyoung pointedly glares at Yeosang. “And we’re not going to die, I’ll get us out of here.”

The navigator suppresses a scoff. “How?”

“Simple. If our sides are blocked, we can only go forward. I’ll speed us through the gap and we’ll be out of here in no time.” the pilot’s eyes are, again, dead set on the space in front of him. “Be a helpful navigator for once and guide me through. And fucking hold onto something, I don’t want you falling on the deck.”

“Don’t talk to me like that.” Yeosang bites back, but resigns, gaze alternating between his datapad and the direction they’re going.

Wooyoung manages to get the ship to speed forward for a few minutes. Meanwhile, he speaks up again, not really willing to establish a conversation with Yeosang, but needing to know something.

“Where are the others?” he asks. “Do you know if they’re safe?”

“The captain took everyone to a safe room as soon as the first explosion hit us. He wanted to come and assist you, but I figured it would be better if he stayed with the rest of the crew. I rushed here as soon as I found out stars were exploding around us.”

That puzzles Wooyoung’s brain. He knows Yeosang would rather do a lot of things before agreeing to share space with him, let alone _help_ him. He could have let Hongjoong go to the deck to help and stayed in the safe room with the others - they had, technically, Seonghwa as a co-captain. The crew would be under supervision.

So why, _why_ did Yeosang choose to help Wooyoung himself?

He shakes those thoughts away, focusing on his route. In the distance, however, something strange starts to happen.

“Yeosang.” he calls. “Yeosang, what’s this?”

“What’s what?” the navigator looks up. Wooyoung sees his eyes widen as he registers what’s happening. “Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. We’re going to die.”

“Stop being a goddamn pessimist and tell me what the _hell_ is happening over there!”

“They’re _colliding_ , Wooyoung! The exploding stars and their remains are gravitating towards each other, and we’re speeding right into the point of convergence. Do you get it now? We’re going to die!”

“So we’re surrounded left, right and front?”

“Yes.” Yeosang nods. “And it won’t be long before the explosions start closing in on us. It’s a miracle we haven’t been hit by flying remains yet.”

“Let’s not waste this miracle, then.” Wooyoung grits his teeth, eyes hard as steel. “We’re doing a 180.”

This time, Yeosang doesn’t hold back his reaction. He lets out a disbelieved laugh. “You’re insane.”

“I’m going to _save_ us. If we’re surrounded from all sides except one, then we need to escape from the side that’s clear. That’s basic understanding.”  
  


“But do you seriously believe you’ll be able to do a complete 180 in this old ship and escape before the explosions get to us and burn us to death?” the navigator asks, exasperated, clutching his datapad like a lifeline.

“I’m going to use the reverberations of the explosions to help propel us forward.” Wooyoung says with determination. “If the impact from one can knock the ship off route, the impact from two at once can give us a head start.”

“You’re going to get us killed. I can’t believe I’m dying because of _your_ stupidity.”

The pilot rolls his eyes, tired of the pessimism. He trusts himself, he’s been on enough trial simulations to know how to pilot under pressure, and piloting _Aurora_ comes to him as easily as breathing at this point. Wooyoung is not letting himself be weighed down by the worries of an _asshole_ who doesn’t know how to think outside of the box and never held a ship’s wheel in his life.

Well. Almost never. Wooyoung knows Yeosang has tried his hand on piloting — that doesn’t mean he trusts the other more, though.

He sets his jaw and adjust his grip on the wheel. “Well, if you’re so sure you’re going to die, go back inside and start saying your prayers. Tell me later if God is a woman, because I know _I_ am surviving this.”

“What, and leave you here alone?” Yeosang sounds incredulous. “You can’t be serious — you need a navigator if you’re really executing your mad plan.”

“The navigator who is currently helping me isn’t being useful aside from telling me I’m crazy and I’m going to get us all killed. I’m pretty sure I don’t need those remarks right now.”

The older goes silent after that. Wooying can’t believe he actually got him to shut up — he disliked Yeosang less when the guy was quiet, which used to happen way more often a few years ago. Still, the pilot doesn’t know if the other’s silence was because of a lack of response or because he was too stunned to process his thoughts. 

Those aren’t mutually exclusive, but Wooyoung knows one thing — Yeosang is _always_ thinking.

“The explosions aren’t sporadic.” the navigator mutters, eyes fixated on his datapad screen.

“What?”

“The explosions aren’t sporadic.” he repeats, louder this time. “Right when they started, I set up an algorithm to see if the intervals between explosions was always the same. They follow a pattern — three minutes, two minutes, and three again. If you really-” Yeosang pauses, as if processing the idea. “If you really want to try _surfing_ on the reverberations, you better start turning the ship in the right direction. We have one minute until the next, and then three. But if we wait that long, they might get too close.”

A wide smile spreads on Wooyoung’s face, and he’s quick to start spinning the wheel, the ship slowly rotating on its axis. “I didn’t think I’d ever tell you this.” he starts, looking at Yeosang. “But that was a fucking genius thought.”

The navigator lets out a chuckle and shakes his head, certain that his face is blushing against his will at the compliment. He hates that he’s reacting positively to something Wooyoung said, but he can’t help it.

Halfway into turning the ship, there’s another explosion, visibly closer, making the mast and both boys shake a little.

“Wooyoung!” Yeosang hisses. “Hurry the fuck up, next time is our last chance. You fuck this up, and we’re dead. And that’s not my pessimism talking, it’s a fact.”

“I know, I know.” Wooyoung sighs. “Countdown the last minute for me?”

“Sure.” the older nods, and starts to keep track of the time.

It’s the longest two minutes of Wooyoung’s life, resigned to guiding the ship forward as much as he can within the time and within the reach of the explosion’s reverberations. When Yeosang starts counting down, his voice is surprisingly soothing, despite being a little shaky.

“59…”

Wooyoung tightens his grip on the wheel.

“45…”

He keeps his head held high, because if he needs something, it’s confidence.

“32…”

He’s not particularly religious, but he prays to the chaotic entity that is the Universe. He claims not for success, but for safety. That’s the main goal.

“21…”

He clears his thoughts. He’s on a mission.

“10…”

He looks at Yeosang. “Hold tight.” he warns, and the other obeys without stopping the counting.

“7…”

He takes a deep breath.

“4…”

He starts the engine beforehand, knowing it’ll take a couple of seconds to whirr to life.

“3… 2… 1…”

There’s a new explosion, louder and closer than all of the others. 

And he propels the ship forward in full speed.

Wooyoung’s ears ring as the impact from the explosion helps the ship move faster, and the task of keeping _Aurora_ from swaying is almost impossible, but he pulls through with a strength he doesn’t know the source of. Guiding the ship as far from the explosions as possible is demanding enough, so he doesn’t check to see if Yeosang is holding onto something to stay safe — but he doesn’t register any thuds or screaming, so the other must be fine.

It’s a while before Wooyoung can’t feel the invisible force pushing the ship anymore, but even after that he doesn’t slow down just yet. For safety, he keeps the engine at maximum speed for a few more minutes, assuring that they’re out of reach until the explosions die down.

Slowly lowering the speed to a medium, the pilot just mindlessly guides the ship for now, not quite knowing their current location and distance from the other possible routes to take. He turns to where Yeosang is, still clinging to the mast with his eyes closed.

“Yeosang.” he calls. “Yeosang, we made it. We escaped.”

The navigator opens his eyes and languidly peels himself from the mast, looking around and blinking in disbelief.

“You did it.” he marvels. “You actually did it. I’m not dead.”

“Of course you’re not. Did you really thought you would die?”

“Yeah. Do you know how many people witnessed stars exploding and lived to tell the story?”

“No. How many?”

“Two.”

“That’s not that bad! Why did you think we’d die if there’s a survivor history?”

Yeosang sighs as he approaches Wooyoung. “I’m talking about _us_ , you idiot! Before your little stunt, every person present during a star explosion died. Of course I thought we would die.”

“Well, those people weren’t being guided by the best pilot in the galaxy.” Wooyoung quips. “Which is me. Just to make it clear.”

“I highly doubt that status.” the older deadpans. “But I have to give it to you, you were great out there. Thank you for keeping us alive.”

“Thank you for helping me. I wouldn’t have done it without your calculations.” the pilot admits. “Though, I could’ve gone without the pessimism.”

“Are we being nice to each other?” Yeosang laughs.

“Don’t get used to it. I still dislike you.”

“Yeah, likewise.”

A beat of silence passes and Wooyoung speaks up again. “Where are we now? I just went without a particular direction to get us out, now I’m lost.”

Yeosang opens a new tab on his datapad, this one containing their map. “We’re off route, but not too much.” he points to the screen, showing it to Wooyoung. “I’ll direct you on how to get back on track, then we’ll follow this path right here.”

The pilot furrows his brows, recognizing the directions. “That’s the slowest route.”

“That’s the _safest_ route.” Yeosang corrects pointedly.

“We already wasted too much time on those explosions. We’re not taking this one.”

“Then what are we going to do?”

The grin that lights up Wooyoung’s face is both wicked and excited.

“We’re going for the asteroids.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! i hope you liked it :] feedback is v appreciated & it keeps me motivated so if u wanna leave something pls do! see you next chapter friends~ ✨✨


	3. three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!!! happy late holidays if you celebrate them!! here i am back with another chapter :]
> 
> i am both a little insecure and confident in this chapter, so i took more time to post it even though i already had more of the story written,, all in all, i hope you enjoy it!!
> 
> have a nice reading 💞

_“We’re going for the asteroids.”_

Yeosang gapes at him. “You can’t possibly be serious. You’re not saying _that_ with a smile on your face.”

“I am being serious. I’m smiling because of the adrenaline rush.”  
  


“We are _not_ going for the asteroid route, Wooyoung.” the navigator says, sternly. “There must be a reason you avoided in the first place.”

“Yeah, but nothing can be more dangerous than what we’ve just experienced. At least the asteroids won’t explode.”

Yeosang sighs, as if Wooyoung is a stubborn child. He kind of is, to be honest.

“You can be the best pilot in the fucking galaxy, but even you can’t speed through an asteroid belt. Especially not with a big and old ship like _Aurora_. You’ll make us crash in a matter of seconds.”

“Why don’t you have faith in me?” the pilot whines. “If I’m suggesting it, it’s because I’m confident that I can pilot us through an asteroid belt. I wouldn’t consider it if I didn’t deem myself capable.”  
  


“Well, look where your confidence led us to.”  
  


“Out of a fucking double explosion, there’s where it led us to. If it weren’t for me, we would all be dead, like you kept insisting we would.”

“We are taking the safest route. That’s final.”

“”You’re in no position to give me orders and _we_ are in no position to waste time on a long route just because it’s safer.” Wooyoung grits his teeth. “So, if you’re unhappy about it, go get Hongjoong and see if he backs you up. He’s the only one on this ship who can give me orders and who I’ll gladly follow.”

Yeosang huffs. “Fine.” and storms out of the deck.

Now alone, the pilot rolls his eyes. He knows the captain will be okay with them taking the faster route, even though it’s dangerous. He’s heard Hongjoong say many times before — they’re not in a position to be slow. Wooyoung trusts his piloting skills, he’s confident behind a wheel and flying in the highest speed — there’s a reason, after all, to why he graduated top of his class in the Academy. He’s been to countless simulators, countless drills, and countless in-real-life dangerous experiences, _including_ the star explosions only a few minutes ago.

Wooyoung knows speeding through an asteroid belt is not a piece of cake. That’s why he chose the alternate route before. But, right now, it’s either that or spending twice as much time on a safer way. They can’t waste time. Ironically, choosing to be safe is way riskier than actually choosing to take risks.

He hears stomping behind him, and a smirk takes over his face. He raises his voice to address the newly-arrived Yeosang. 

“Captain agreed with me, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” the older boy grumbles. “And I don’t agree with him in the slightest. But I can’t disobey his orders, so.”

“I knew that would happen.” Wooyoung says. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t let anyone on this ship die.”

“Not even me?” Yeosang appears on the opposite side of the wheel, smiling teasingly.

“You’re a pain in the ass. But that’s not enough for me to want you dead.”

“Aw, that’s so noble of you.”

“Do _you_ want me dead?”

“Nah.” the navigator shakes his head. “I do want you to shut the fuck up most of the time, though.”

“The feeling is mutual.” Wooyoung quips, not sparing the other a glance. “Now, please guide me back to the asteroid route and go to the safe room with the rest of the crew.”

“Do you want me to leave you to face an asteroid belt with no assistance?”

“Believe me, Yeosang, I’m doing this for _your_ safety. You were already glued to the mast during the explosions. Even though this will probably be safer, we’ll be shaking a lot more”

“Are you… _Worried_ about me?” Yeosang quirks up an eyebrow, genuinely confused.

“Are you dumb? I literally just said I don’t want you to die. You’re just very insufferable and I’d like to interact with you as little as possible. But I’d have to be an awful fucking person to wish you harm just because of that.”

The older boy nods, dumbfounded. He doesn’t know why he’s so surprised - it should be expected, to hear that from Wooyoung. Their mutual dislike is just that; it never meant they’d wish harm upon one another. And yet, that subtle, not even personal display of care latches itself into Yeosang’s mind like a leech, and he can’t stop mulling it over. Why does he feel like it meant something when it clearly didn’t?

He shoves those thoughts away, for they don’t belong in the moment. He’s about to guide Wooyoung into an asteroid belt — he’ll have time to stress over the other’s actions towards him when they’re safe and asteroid-free.

That is, if they survive this. Yeosang still thinks it’s madness.

The navigator doesn’t respond verbally, only nodding his head to acknowledge what Wooyoung had said, and begins guiding him back to their route as a change of subject. They’re back on track in no time, and the pilot starts speeding forward until they can see the ghost of the infamous asteroid belt in the distance.

Yeosang shivers as they approach the floating rocks. Granted, it’s not the worst asteroid belt he’s seen in his life, which kind of gives him a flicker of hope — though, it could also be wishful thinking due to the fact that he _doesn’t want to die_ . He’s heard of people who got through the same situation as they are right now and survived, so, statistically, they have a shot. He also trusts Wooyoung as a pilot, more or less — Yeosang won’t be caught dead saying this out loud, but the guy is the closest to a _genius_ someone could ever be when it comes to piloting. His heart is screaming at him to not put his life in the hands of this airhead, but his brain is resigned, telling him that there’s no better person to maneuver a ship’s wheel and speed them out of trouble. 

And, when the situation is risky, Yeosang always chooses to be rational. 

Wooyoung stops the ship at a safe distance and turns to the navigator.

“You should head to the safe room with the others now.” he states. “This is enough distance for me to get a headstart. I don’t think it’ll be too difficult. There are bigger asteroid belts in the galaxy.”

“Have you dived into other asteroid belts before?” Yeosang asks, snarky.

“Well, no. But I know that our situation could be worse, so I’m trying to be positive here.”

“Alright, Mr. Brightside.” the navigator rolls his eyes. “Do your thing. I’ll go to the safe room.”

“Tell them to hold tight onto something, and do that too.” Wooyoung says. “We’ll be doing a lot of shaking.”

The older nods, and starts walking out of the deck. He stops in his tracks to turn to the pilot again.

“If you get us killed…” he warns. “I’ll hunt you down in the afterlife.”

Wooyoung chuckles. “I don’t doubt you will. Now go to the safe room.”

As soon as the pilot is sure that Yeosang has already met with the others and they’re all safe, he cracks his knuckles and tightens his grip on the wheel. He stares at his opponent, the asteroid belt, for a couple of seconds before letting a small smirk lift up the corner of his mouth.

Wooyoung doesn’t let his eyes stray as he adjusts the ship’s speed and gets ready to start the engine. He clears his mind and tries to calm his heart and, before the ship whirrs to life, he challenges the celestial bodies in front of him.

“You’re going _down_.”

  
  
  
  


Now, Wooyoung knows simulators are one thing and real-life experiences are another. So he really doesn’t expect the obstacle tracks in the piloting simulators back in the Academy to be like literally speeding through an asteroid belt.

He hopes, however, that the latter resembles the former at least in theory, so he can have a better shot at going through the very rocky, very heavy obstacles in front of him right now.

Here’s the thing — asteroids don’t explode on their own like stars. They need collision. But asteroids don’t just stay there, motionlessly floating — they move, they orbit around something —, not to mention they can be really big. These ones, fortunately, are not, but they’re still one hell of a challenge. Wooyoung’s main and only focus right now is _don’t crash_ ; if he doesn’t crash, then he’s good. 

(And explosion-free. He’s had enough of those for one day, thank you very much.) 

At the Academy, Wooyoung was often reprimanded by his professors for being too fast on the simulators. He’d like them to see him now, in a place where his never-ending desire for speed is actually his ally. Being a fast pilot keeps him from staying at one spot for too long, therefore the chances of an asteroid hitting the ship out of nowhere are lessened. The downside of it is the exertion he’s imposing onto the ship — _Aurora_ is old, and a fairly big ship, not at all made for sneaking between tight spaces, like he just did, speeding through a gap between two asteroids and nearly avoiding a scrape.

Wooyoung can do a couple of scrapes. Marrings to the outside of a vessel are easy problems to fix. He just _can’t crash_.

That’s the only thought that runs through the pilot’s head as he lets muscle memory of all the obstacle simulators guide him through the maze of asteroids. He feels his arm get tired from spinning the wheel left and right, but he pushes through the strain, telling himself _just a little more_ , _we’re almost there_ . At some point, he feels one of the smaller asteroids graze the ship’s vessel, definitely leaving a mark, and the slight impact is enough to knock _Aurora_ to the side. Wooyoung fights to guide the ship away from any other asteroids as he gets back on track, turning the speed to maximum because he just wants to get through with it.

He sees one of the bigger asteroids approaching, and it’s so horizontally large the boy knows there’s no way to dodge it from the sides. In an act of quick thinking, he plummets the ship down and then forwards again, successfully avoiding a crash but knocking away the tip of the mast, just above the crow’s nest.

Well, whatever. Just glue it back later. It’s better than dying.

The speed makes Wooyoung’s ears fill with noise and it’s getting harder to keep his eyes open, but he can see the end of the maze so he endures it. His feet hurt from maintaining a standing position for so long, and his knuckles are white from how hard he’s gripping the wheel — _just a little longer_ …

One dodge to the right, and another plummeting down to avoid headfirst crashing, and he’s out of the asteroid zone.

He’s out.

Wooyoung _got them out_.

He got them out _alive_.

_In your unnecessarily pessimistic face, Kang Yeosang_ , the pilot thinks as he uses what’s left of his strength to slow the ship down to a stop. A nervous, yet satisfied laugh escapes his lips as he slides down to the floor with absolutely no grace, pretty much tumbling into the mast, the strain in his whole body from this adventure and the previous one with the explosions finally taking the best of him.

Wooyoung lets out multiple sighs of relief and a couple more chuckles over the fact that they made it out alive before hoisting himself up again to tell the rest of the crew that it’s safe to come up to the deck. He heads to the safe room and knocks with one hand, supporting his weight on the doorframe with the other.

“You can come out now!” he calls.

The pilot thinks he hears someone scrambling to get up and rush to the door, but the person who opens it is, out of all people, Yeosang. So he probably misheard - there’s no way Yeosang would be that eager to see him. Right behind him, stands Hongjoong, with a worried expression, brows furrowed and mouth opening to ask something, probably the usual _are you okay_.

Yeosang, however, beats him to it. “You really did it.” he says, partly surprised and partly disbelieving.

Wooyoung wheezes out a laugh. “Of course I did it.” he points at everyone inside the room with the hand that’s not resting on the doorframe. “You guys… Owe me… So much.” he pauses a couple of times in the middle of the sentence to take deep breaths that look painful.

Before anyone can say anything back, a body rushes towards Wooyoung, hugging him tight but cradling his head gently. With a chuckle, he retributes Jongho’s bone-crushing hug just as lovingly, albeit with way less force.

“You’re really insane.” the younger chides. “You could’ve gotten hurt!”

“Gotten hurt? He could’ve get us all killed.” Yeosang quips.

“But I _didn’t_ do either of those things.” Wooyoung steps out of the hug. “I’m fine, unscathed, just exhausted. Can’t say the same for the ship, though — we’ve got a few scrapes to the vessel and the tip of the mast broke.”

“We can fix that later.” Hongjoong steps closer, inspecting Wooyoung’s state. He pats some dust from the pilot’s head and shoulders, keeping his hands there for comfort as he looks at the younger with concern. “Are you _alright_ , Wooyoung?”

“I am, I really am. Don’t worry, this whole game just drained all my energy.” Wooyoung gives the crew a faint smile and taps the captain’s hand on his shoulder. “Someone else will have to pilot _Aurora_ for me for a while, though. I need to rest, and I need it now.”

“I’ll do it!” San, the shorter blonde from Seonghwa’s crew, chimes in. “I’m not as good as you, but I can guide us through a simple route just fine.” he smiles sincerely, and a pair of rather endearing dimples makes itself visible on his cheeks. “Take your time to rest and heal. I’ll do my best to fill in your shoes as a pilot for the time being.”

It’s such a polite sentence, Wooyoung is a little taken aback by it. He smiles right back at him, thankful for the caring words and gestures. 

“Thank you. I’m sure you’ll do a great job as a pilot, just as good as mine.” he says. 

San shakes his head bashfully. “I can only dream. You’re really one of a kind, Wooyoung.”

Wooyoung’s eyes widen, surprised at the sudden compliment. He’s not one to blush easily, especially not around strangers, but he can feel his ear prickle with warmth. He’s about to say something back, when another voice interrupts him.

“You really did… Great back there.” Yeosang adds, and he sounds reluctant to admit it to his rival, but not insincere at all. “Strikingly great, actually. You saved us twice today, and I… Owe you an apology for not believing in you.” he says all of that while looking away, but after finishing the sentence he locks eyes with Wooyoung — they’re hesitant, yet honest. It’s probably a great deal for Yeosang to admit he was wrong and actually apologize to someone he dislikes, because he seems a bit vulnerable. 

Well, Wooyoung was never one to hold grudges if the other person apologized, so he nods at Yeosang understandingly. “It’s fine. You’ve always been an overthinker, it’s expected that you’d react like that. Let’s just be thankful I managed to keep us safe.”

“Yeah.” the navigator mumbles. “That’s what matters.”

“I’m glad you two sorted this out.” Hongjoong speaks up. “But I think Wooyoung really needs to rest right now.”

The pilot in question heaves out a chuckle. “You’re not my babysitter, captain. No need to remind me it’s bedtime.”

The older feigns scadalization at his words. “Mind your tone, young man, I’m still your captain.” he pinches Wooyoung’s ear like a nagging parent would, with no force behind it. “Seriously, though. Go to your quarters. Sleep. I’ll bring you some food after you wake up.”  
  


“What he means is _I’ll_ bring some food after you wake up.” Seonghwa, who had been watching the exchange, steps closer to the group. “You deserve better than your captain’s food after all the exertion.”

Wooyoung snorts as he sees Hongjoong roll his eyes at the blonde. “I’m sure whoever’s food is, it’ll be appreciated.” he says, smiling mirthfully. But captain is right, I should go to bed. I’ll see you… Well. Later.”

He hugs Jongho again for good measure and waves goodbye to the rest of his crewmates. He’s in his quarters — that he shares with Mingi — in no time and, as soon as his head hits the pillow, Wooyoung is out like a light.

* * *

At the same time, Hongjoong and Seonghwa walk almost side by side to the deck, following San who is quick to position himself behind the wheel and start the ship’s engines. Even he, someone from a different crew, knows they can’t waste time. Hongjoong appreciates him for it.

The captain gives him instructions on how to remain on the route, and San dutifully nods and focuses his attention on piloting. Hongjoong leaves the navigation datapad with the younger, sure he can do just fine by himself for a few minutes, and goes to check on the partially broken mast.

“It was reckless.” a voice behind him says.

He turns to Seonghwa, annoyed. “What?”

“Going headfirst into an asteroid belt. It was a reckless move.”

“I approved his decision. Wooyoung kept us _safe_ and bought us so much time by going for the shorter route. We’d still be in the safer one by now, you know. We can’t have that.”

“Hey.” the older holds up his hands. “Easy there. I know it was the fastest way out — but it wasn’t the most thoughtful decision.”

“We can’t afford to be thoughtful-”

“Hongjoong, we can’t afford to take so many risks either. Just because there’s a life at stake, doesn’t mean we can just high-speed across the galaxy not caring for collateral damage.” Seonghwa sighs. “Going for the asteroid route was a bold move, and we survived because Wooyoung is some sort of genius, but look how exhausted he got. Look how close we came to crashing.” he points to the broken mast. “We should tone it down. I’m fully aware that we don’t have all the time in the world, but-”

“You’re right, we don’t.” Hongjoong cuts in. “Glad we cleared this up.”

Seonghwa crosses his arms. “Don’t make me the bad guy. I’m trying to be reasonable.”

“You say that because it’s not _your_ crew member who’s literally marked to die.”

The blonde scoffs. “Not my- Hongjoong, I’d do many, many things to save someone’s life, _anyone’s_ life, from impending death. Even risking others, to an extent. But I think we’ve reached this extent. There’s no use in rushing if it risks more lives. There’s no use in being quick if we all just…” he drifts off, not wanting to complete the sentence.

“If we all just what?” Hongjoong asks, defiant.

“I don’t want to say it.”

“You started it. Now finish. If we all just _what_ , Seonghwa?”

“If we all just die. Putting ourselves in danger to save a life is worth nothing if it still gets lost in the end.” Seonghwa states, eyes hard as steel. “I’m willing to go distances as much as you are to help you save Jongho, but a line _needs_ to be drawn.”

Silence. Neither of them have the courage to talk again, or talk back, for a couple of moments.

Looking down, Hongjoong lets out a heavy breath. “You have matured a lot since I met you.” he says, like it’s difficult to admit. “You’re right.”

“I’m… You agree with me?” Seonghwa furrows his eyebrows.

“I do. I’ve been a bit reckless, in my rush to get to the Treasure. It’s just… Frustrating, the fact that we spent so much time following an incomplete map and losing time, and now that we have the full map we still need to hold ourselves back, we still need to keep ourselves level-headed for our own safety.” the captain shakes his head and looks up to the vastness of space above them. “I just want this to end. I want this to end _well_.”

Unsure of what to do at the sudden confession and display of vulnerability, Seonghwa doesn’t move closer or further away. He doesn’t reach for Hongjoong, nor he backtracks — he just stands there, staring at the other, and tries to find in him the best words to… Comfort him.

“You’ve been doing a good job as a captain. It’s understandable that you and your crew are frustrated, really. And I’m genuinely sorry it has to be like that. Despite our whole…” the blonde gestures vaguely. “Thing, I know how much the Treasure means to you. Having to rush your journey because of an unexpected illness is… It’s really saddening. And I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.” Hongjoong smiles sadly. “It’s ironic, isn’t it. That we started looking for the Treasure for the thrill of the hunt, but now it barely brings us joy anymore.”

“Well, you can still try to find joy in it. There’s no reason for it to be gone completely.” Seonghwa reasons. “Remember, Jongho is in danger, but he’s _alive_. Don’t act gravely during this journey just because of his condition. You’re not mourning him yet, you don’t even know if you’ll be mourning him at all.”

“Sounds kinda disrespectful, don’t you think?” the captain arches an eyebrow. “To find joy in something while he’s in danger?”

“You need to ask him. If it were me, I’d like for my captain and my loved ones to treat me normally, to not lose themselves because of something it’s not their fault nor mine.” this time, Seonghwa steps closer to Hongjoong, but just a little. “Him getting the Mark was a cruel fate, but it’s up to him to decide if he wants us all to respect his condition as a Traveler’s Mark bearer and keep this fact in mind all the time, or if he wants us all to respect his presence as a still alive friend, and keep the sobriety only to the moments when it’s needed.”

Hongjoong seems to think. He stills for a while, and Seonghwa can practically hear the engines inside his brain working. Honestly, he doesn’t really expect a response. He doesn’t even think they should be discussing this — it sounds like a matter Hongjoong has with his own crew. Seonghwa is just an outsider — an outsider who, for the time being, is an ally, but an outsider nonetheless.

“You’re right.” the captain breathes out after a while. “Again.” he adds with a tinge of teasing. “I appreciate that you care for him. Actually, you seem to care for my crew members almost as if they were your own. For that, I thank you. And I assure you I’ll care for your crew members in the same way.”

The blonde nods, a bit shocked at the unwavering of his words. “You say I’ve matured since we’ve met, but you have too. I might still not be fond of you as a person, Hongjoong, but I do admire the way you care for others as a captain. Your character has definitely developed as well.”

“I’m glad you think that.” Hongjoong says, with a small smile. “And I’m glad we had that talk. With no yelling for the most part, that’s evolving.”

Seonghwa chuckles as he shakes his head. “It definitely is. It was good to have that talk, indeed. Now” he yawns. “I think I need a quick nap. All that shaking from the asteroid belt episode upset my old bones.”

It’s Hongjoong’s turn to laugh. “Old bones? You’re barely 23.”

“Tell that to my body. It probably thinks I’m 80.”

The captain shakes his head at the joke as they both share a laugh. It lasts a few seconds before they realize they’re actually having a _good moment_ together. Like, genuinely enjoying each other’s company, even if only for a brief minute. Seonghwa regains his composure first, and coughs into his fist awkwardly to change the subject. 

“I’m, I’m heading out now. I won’t be sleeping for too long but you can, uh, wake me if you need help with something.”

“Okay. See you later, then.”

“Sure.”

The blonde leaves awkwardly, and Hongjoong is left to his thoughts as he stares at the myriad of stars light-years ahead of them. It’s scary, but he comes to the conclusion that seeing Seonghwa smile is not unpleasant.

Not unpleasant at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was that!!! can i just say that ace pilot wooyoung is one of my favorite concepts of all time??? thank you
> 
> pls do let me know what you thought of this chapter if you feel up to it!!! comments motivate me and i love interacting with readers 🥺
> 
> if u want to follow me on twt and see me being dumb on a daily basis, catch me at @spacehwas :]
> 
> thank u so much for reading, see you all next chapter!!!


	4. four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after nine whole months... chapter 4 is here! i have no idea if i still have readers lol so i wont take long with excuses... i has the better part of this chapter written out already but because of motivation & mental health issues i spent like over 6 months on the last 1k. only to finish it in a day. anyway im sorry it took so long :(
> 
> without further ado, please enjoy!!

As the days pass, things don’t change much. They, fortunately, don’t encounter any more dangerous obstacles in the way, to which the whole crew is thankful. A new thing that happens, however, is a very much welcome developing of team dynamics.

It’s almost natural — although Hongjoong and Seonghwa still have their weird rivalry-induced tension and Wooyoung and Yeosang avoid speaking to each other unless it’s absolutely necessary, members of both crews drift together effortlessly, be it from having common interests or from spending a lot of time together.

Mingi and Yeosang bond over being first mates of their respective captains. They don’t have a lot in common as individuals — Mingi is tall, loud and likes meat and shiny things, while Yeosang is on the shorter side, is rather quiet and prefers chicken and darker colors. As first mates, however, they share a lot of habits and experiences, such as finding their captains fast asleep at their workplace after who-knows-how-many hours of working.

Yunho and Jongho bond over their knack for tech, research and archiving. Yunho talks about how he tried to build a compass when he was 7 years old and it just went from there — he spent one semester in the Galactic Academy studying piloting, before dropping it and going to ship building and tech. Jongho, on the other hand, states that he’s dabbled in creating tech, but didn’t have a lot of success. He’s good at repairing, though, and can operate a datapad like a pro, finding functions one would never know existed. They both also share stories of falling asleep in libraries — either at the Academy or school — and how that played into their unofficial roles of researchers and archivers in their respective crews.

Wooyoung and San bond over piloting. The older boy seems to have a deep admiration for Wooyoung, which always leaves said pilot with a blushing face and bashful smile everytime it’s mentioned. They discuss piloting techniques, or just recount stories from their Academy days or from previous expeditions. Wooyoung’s loud laugh can be heard by the whole deck when San tells him a particularly funny story of how he almost got onboard of the wrong ship.

Yeosang and Hongjoong spend a considerable amount of time together, studying the map. You would think it’s an unnecessary move, since they already got the joint maps figured out, but navigators are meticulous. There could always be a tiny mistake that would compromise the entire journey, so keeping an eye on the map and studying it every once in a while was the best way to keep such a thing from happening. The captain quite enjoys the younger’s company, even if Yeosang himself often seems more fond of his datapad and the map than other people. Hongjoong doesn’t really mind — the boy isn’t rude or unpleasant to be around, more like he’s on the quiet side, preferring to read and analyze instead of talking too much. Together, Hongjoong and Yeosang form a good navigation team, and in little time they learn each other’s map interpretation approaches, operating together almost like a single mind.

Here’s one thing: Hongjoong knows Yeosang is Seonghwa’s first mate and best friend, just like Mingi is his. So the captain supposes that the blonde is bound to get a little annoyed at how much time they’ve been spending together recently. He’s not sure if it’s a trace of possessiveness, or if Seonghwa is just a prick in general, but all in all he expects an increase in the number of scowls sent his way.

That doesn’t happen. Sure, Seonghwa still scowls at him every now and then when he makes a remark that annoys the older, or when he tries to cook (yes, he still pokes at Hongjoong’s cooking abilities), but when he and Yeosang are seen geeking over navigation apps, for example, there’s nothing. Not a single eye roll, or grumbling. Nothing.

Hongjoong is, of course, glad that things are going that way, because it really is an asshole move to be mad when your friend makes new friends — even if one of the new friends is your rival-turned-ally. But he can’t help but, again, get confused by Seonghwa’s behaviour. His experiences while sharing a space with the blonde have been getting weirder every time: first the soup incident, then having pleasant small talk with him and  _ laughing together _ , now this? Weird. Plain weird.

Not only is it unusual, Hongjoong notices, but it gets worse — or better, he’s not sure what to make of it yet. One time, Seonghwa sees them hunched over the map together, discussing it, and Hongjoong hears a soft, amused chuckle coming from him. Then, the blonde ruffles Yeosang’s hair in an older brother manner, and comments:

“Nice to see you making friends, Sangie. What are you two nerds up to?”

Yeosang smiles. Not the close-lipped one, no — a full smile, bright and, to be fair, adorable. He says that they’re just studying it and talking about future routes, no biggie, and Seonghwa just nods, acknowledging it.

“Cool, it’s good that you’re keeping it in check. Is everything in order?”

Hongjoong should be the one asking this, he supposes, since  _ he  _ is the captain after all. But, as he looks up — he hadn’t dared to do so and end up looking the blonde in the eye — he sees that Seonghwa’s gaze is directed at him, not Yeosang. Oh, okay. That makes more sense.

“Yeah, yeah, for now we haven’t encountered any troubles with the map.” he states with as much confidence as he could muster. As much as he is weirded out by the older’s slight change in behaviour, he can’t show it. “Thanks for, uh, asking.”

“Of course.” Seonghwa smiles. Then, his expression falls a little, and he looks worried. “You two have been at this task for a while now, though. Have you eaten? Are you hungry?”

_ What _ , Hongjoong thinks. Is Seonghwa actually  _ worried _ about him? Is he offering to bring him something to eat? What is going on?

The stubborn part of his brain reasons that it’s probably because of Yeosang, which should ease the captain’s worries, but it  _ doesn’t _ — he’s seen the blonde be nice to him, in the name of civility, on the soup incident, for example, but right now, if he’s addressing both Hongjoong and Yeosang in the same manner, Seonghwa is treating him like a  _ friend _ . And damn if this doesn’t fry the captain’s brains even further.

“Now that you mentioned it, yeah, I’m quite hungry.” Yeosang says.

“I’ll bring you something to eat.” Seonghwa nods, absentmindedly drumming his fingers on the tabletop. “Hongjoong? Do you want anything?

There it is. The captain can’t form a phrase, because he’s too caught up in the way the older’s voice isn’t snarky or teasing in the slightest — unless Seonghwa had become a master of acting and concealing his emotions over the course of weeks, his concern is actually genuine and he’s actually willing to bring something for him to eat so he doesn’t collapse. The only word repeating itself inside his mind is  _ why _ ,  _ why _ is his demeanour changing,  _ why _ is this going on. Hongjoong supposes he shouldn’t question good-natured actions, but Seonghwa’s niceties have never,  _ ever _ been directed at him, so yes, he has the right to question them.

He still needs to give him an answer, though. 

“You don’t need to go out of your way to bring me something.” he settles for the stubborn way out, refusing to accept the niceness. At least for now, while he doesn’t know what’s going on. “I’m fine.”

Seonghwa lifts an eyebrow, and Hongjoong prays  _ don’t insist _ ,  _ don’t insist _ but, of course, the Universe gets a kick out of making him suffer.

“You sure?” the blonde preens. “I’m not going out of my way. I’ll head to the kitchen anyway, to make something for Yeosang. Are you sure you don’t want anything? It’ll be no bother.”

Hongjoong positively wants to scream.  _ Why _ is he being like this?

Just like in the soup incident, the captain gives in, and accepts Seonghwa’s offer to bring him a snack. Unlike in the soup incident, however, he decides he won’t confront the blonde about his change of behaviour — at least not yet. For all he knows, it could be just him being nice to Yeosang, and being nice to Hongjoong as a bonus because the two were hanging out together. Yeah, that sounds about right, he concludes. He overreacted for nothing.

They had agreed to be more civil, after all.

Hongjoong isn’t sure if the fondness in Seonghwa’s voice still falls under the category of civility but, to avoid further overthinking sessions, he ignores it. The captain fails to notice, however, the tiny smile gracing the blonde’s face, kind and peaceful, and the spark of something akin to care glinting in otherwise hard, unwavering dark eyes. Those two things definitely fall out of the category of civility, so it’s probably better that Hongjoong doesn’t notice them yet — or he would have an even harder time ignoring Seonghwa’s sudden niceness.

One person  _ does _ notice the tiny, yet significant, telltale signs of care in Seonghwa’s face. Being one of the best navigators in the pirate community — modestly speaking —, Yeosang is nothing if not observant, and he’s quick to pick up on his best friend’s body language. Of course, the boy knows part of the fondness in his eyes is directed at him — Seonghwa has always been protective and caring, like the older brother he never had. But he also can’t deny that, although they bicker ridiculously often, the blonde doesn’t seem to harbor the same negative feelings toward Captain Kim Hongjoong as he did when they first met. 

That brings a smile to Yeosang’s face as he takes notice of the crease between his current captain’s brows, showcasing that the man is lost in thought, and they appear to be concerning — though, not the “we-might-be-in-danger” type of concerning. More like the “I-don’t-know-how-to-feel-about-this” type of concerning. And, just by that, the young navigator comes to the conclusion that Hongjoong himself is at war with his previous perceiving of Seonghwa and his current one, as well as, maybe, the uncertainty of Seonghwa’s perceiving of himself.

Chuckling, Yeosang waves his hand in front of Hongjoong’s eyes. “Hello? Earth to captain?” he asks, a teasing lilt in his voice.

Hongjoong shakes his head back to reality and turns to the younger. “Yes, sorry, I spaced out. Did you say something?”

“No, no, I didn’t.” Yeosang shakes his head negatively. “Just wanted to bring you out of dreamland. Do you want to take a break?”

“Let’s just keep going, and we’ll take a break when S-” the captain pauses mid-sentence, coughs, and gets himself back together. “When the food arrives. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure, captain. No problem.” 

There’s a tinge of mischief in Yeosang’s eyes as he says that. If Hongjoong thinks the boy didn’t notice his little slip up, refraining himself from bringing Seonghwa’s name into the conversation, he’s wrong. Boy, he’s wrong. In a life of being a wallflower, Yeosang has learned how to pick up on things, and this was just another proof that a certain tall blonde might be occupying Captain Kim Hongjoong’s thoughts more than he’d like to admit. Though, Yeosang will give him that, not in the usual way said phrase usually implies. Yet.

As he and Hongjoong go back to discussing the map, Yeosang sees the furrow in his eyebrows slowly easing itself away.

_ He’ll figure it out _ , the boy thinks.  _ Eventually _ .

  
  
  
  


It’s a normal day of a normal week, routine repeating itself every day like clockwork, though not as repetitive and morose to be considered draining or boring. Much to Hongjoong’s relief, his and Seonghwa’s old dynamic of bickering, eye rolls and sarcasm goes back to what it used to be, and his worries about the blonde’s genuine caring words on the other day fade to the back of his mind, in a corner of his brain he doesn’t tend to visit often, and are quickly forgotten as he takes on his captain duties day after day. It’s funny to think that he would rather them verbally throw pins and needles at each other than exchange niceties, but, really, for his overthinking brain, it’s better to stick to unpleasant scenarios he knows instead of — he hates to admit it — pleasant ones that are frighteningly unfamiliar.

All in all, their journey doesn’t seem to be faltering in the slightest. They’re at a good pace, almost halfway through their course and, if things stay that way, they’ll get to the Treasure in a very good timing, fast enough so they can stay comfortable and not worry too much about Jongho’s condition.

Speaking of Jongho, Hongjoong is yet to talk to him about how he feels regarding the now somber and darker atmosphere of their journey, if he’d rather they considerate his illness and don’t joke around the ship too much, or if he’d rather everyone to just treat him as they always would, leaving the matters of his condition only to times when it’s needed to discuss them. Hongjoong loves the younger boy to death, but he never knows what to expect of him — not in a bad way, of course, but Jongho is not really an open book about his emotions and worries, so the captain has no idea of what his answer could possibly be, only knows that he’ll respect it no matter what.

Hongjoong leaves a mental remark to talk to the other boy later, alone, to respect his privacy and provide more comfort if there are afflictions he might want to talk about. Then, he heads to the deck, where San is probably behind the wheel — he and Wooyoung are taking turns now — to inform the pilot they’re approaching a turning point in their current route. 

He likes San. In fact, he likes everyone from Seonghwa’s crew except the man himself, but he’s been talking to San more often now that he’s taking turns in piloting and Hongjoong is, besides the captain, a navigator after all. San is, he finds out, just as loud and silly as Wooyoung when he wants to be, but just as determined and focused on his tasks when he needs to. His personality is very warm and sunshine-y — even though they are far, far from anything that resembles the Sun — and he’s polite and sweet, very often seen smiling at people even if they’re talking about mundane topics. He’s just that kind of person.

As he approaches the boy on the deck, he notices Yeosang is already there with him, as well as Yunho and Jongho. The younger resident navigator is looking at something on his datapad, Yunho and Jongho also staring at the screen over his shoulder and pointing at something, while San stays behind the wheel piloting, often stealing glances and talking to the others. When they hear footsteps, their heads perk up to see who they belong too, and the boys all greet Hongjoong with a smile.

“Captain, hey!” Yeosang waves. “I was just going to look for you.”

“Hello, hello, everyone.” the captain greets back. “Look for me? What for?”

“We’re running out of supplies.” Jongho explains. “Feeding 8 people is way more demanding than feeding four. So our food supplies are becoming scarce, and stuff.”

Hongjoong scrunches up his nose in a wince. “Yikes. That’s bad. Is there any habitable planet nearby?”

“Nope, there are only wastelands for a good portion of light years ahead.” Yunho shakes his head, but then snatches the datapad from Yeosang’s hands with a grin. “But we found a colony established on a moon, not far from here. The planet itself is basically made of chemical trash, but one of the four moons, the most distant, has been home to a colony for a good while, and from our research they have a good history with expeditioners, travelers and people wanting to buy things.” he shows Hongjoong the datapad screen, containing a small info sheet about the mentioned moon colony.

The sheet contains the basics: population, main locations, track record of trading with other planets/colonies and such. The captain smiles proudly at the boys, giving them a thumbs up.

“That’s great, you did a good job. Stopping by this colony will save our asses.” he pats Yeosang on the shoulder. “Can you trace a route for us to get there?”

“Already did, captain.” the boy changes the tab on his datapad from the info sheet about the moon colony to one with directions and guidelines. 

“Awesome.” Hongjoong beams, then turns to San, who’s still on the wheel. “San, are you ok with taking us there or do you want me to call Wooyoung to trade places with you? You can take a break, if you’d like.”

“No need to, captain, I’m alright.” the pilot shakes his head and smiles reassuringly. “I’ll take my break when we get to our stop, don’t worry.”

“Well, if that’s the case…” Hongjoong shrugs. “Do you guys need anything else?”

The four other boys shake their heads, saying they’re fine. With that, the captain excuses himself to leave, asking Yeosang to call him when they’re approaching their destination, and walks out of the deck to grab a glass of water and check their supplies himself to get a general idea of how much they’ll need to restock.

Maybe, after that, he could squeeze in a power nap before they arrive at the moon colony.

  
  


Hongjoong does not, unfortunately, get to take his power nap, because as soon as he’s done with checking the supply stock (and writing down what needs to be bought) Yeosang’s head appears in the doorway of the storage room.

“We’re almost there, captain.” he announces. “It’s a pretty interesting sight from up here, you might want to see it.”

Nodding, he accompanies Yeosang to the deck, and the sight he’s welcomed with is, indeed, interesting. He lets out a “wow” as he rests his hands on the ship’s railing.

“Pretty cool, right?” Jongho, who was still hanging out with the other boys on the deck, says. The boy is also standing watching the view, with his elbows propped on the railing instead of his hands as he crouches over it a little.

“Hey, don’t get too close to the edge.” Hongjoong scolds the younger, tapping his shoulder so he gets the hint and stands properly. “It’s dangerous, and crouching ruins your posture.”

“I was just resting.” Jongho argues, and playfully rolls his eyes before adding: “ _ Dad _ .”

The captain chuckles at his antics — it’s not the first time Jongho had called him dad as a joke, and it certainly won’t be the last. He admittedly does behave like a father figure sometimes, so it’s okay.

“To answer your question, my favorite child,” he says, turning to Jongho. “Yes, the view is pretty cool.” 

Jongho smiles in a “told-you-so” way and goes back to admiring the sight in front of them, the moon colony getting closer and closer.

Indeed, it’s impressive. Yunho was right when he called the planet, Sunarth, “chemical trash” — it’s possible to confirm such a state even from up here. The atmosphere surrounding it looks sickly, as well as the surface, both bordering on an ochre shade that indicates no living creature or, at least, no human should set foot there. Despite looking less than pretty and a lot dangerous, it doesn’t cease to be interesting. Hongjoong can spot craters and, if his eyes don’t deceive him, some natural phenomenon akin to a volcano. It’s a wasteland planet, indeed, but it doesn’t make it less cool.

The planet becomes less detailed as they get closer to the moon, since it’s the furthest satellite out of the four the planet has. Hongjoong watches the moon, then, and gets surprised over how much different it is from the planet. Of course, being habitable, it looks as such, but the captain didn’t expect a relatively young colony to look so… bright already, so full of life. The vision from up here is still limited and undetailed, but Hongjoong sees green, and he sees vibrant colors, so he assumes the colony is prospering well.

He gets the confirmation for his assumptions as soon as they anchor down on the nearest spaceport, on the east side of the moon. The docks are almost full, and the variety of ships is something to consider — expedition ships, pirate ships, cargo ships, Hongjoong even spots a cruise in a more secluded, reserved part of the spaceport. He wonders why he’s never heard of this colony, as it seems to be well-visited by people.

The whole crew steps out of the ship together after they land. Yunho has a datapad in hands, probably with information they need to wander around in the colony without getting lost. They agree to split up, to get things done more quickly, and then meet up later to take a break all together, maybe at an affordable restaurant or a fair, if there’s one.

While walking around the colony, Hongjoong notices that there are individuals of many species living there, or at least visiting. Coming from a mostly-human system, not only is he used to not seeing non-humans, but also used to those not being welcomed in public spaces, for many pointless bigoted reasons. It brings a smile to his face to see non-humans transiting between humans, as equals, as they should.

Hongjoong, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho have the task of roaming a street market for best prices on basic food supplies, and they’re doing an okay job at it, not falling for every salesperson’s sometimes deceiving offers, and gradually filling the shopping basket they’re carrying without paying too much for the items. They’re almost checking out everything on the list, when Hongjoong spots a very familiar maroon trench coat, and departs from the group to greet an old friend.

“Hey, you three.” he calls his crew’s attention. “I’m going over there to talk to someone, don’t wander around too far. I’ll be quick, promise.”

Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho nod in unison, all three craning their heads to see if they can catch a glimpse of said “someone”, but to no avail. Hongjoong waves them a quick goodbye and quickens his pace to follow the trench coat.

As he finally reaches the person, he taps their shoulder and waits for them to turn around. Of course, as he’s greeted with unmistakably styled dark hair and blue-lined eyes, he’s proved to be right about the person’s identity. A smile stretches on his friend’s face as he recognizes Hongjoong.

“Joong?” the man asks, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Shopping.” the captain shrugs. “You?”

“I  _ live _ here! Well, not here-here, I live in this colony, not in the market district. But hey, it’s nice to see you again!”

“Nice to see you too, Youngjo.” Hongjoong pats his friend’s arm. “Are you taking a break from expeditioning?”

“Yeah, the boys and I thought we could use a little vacation. So we gave our ship and ourselves a rest.”

“A break is always good. How are the others, by the way? Still only the five of you?”

Youngjo shakes his head. “They’re good, but we’re six now. We just welcomed a young cyborg boy to our crew. Poor boy was lost in a junkyard planet, scarce memory, no one around, so we took him in. He’s a genius, but he can’t remember his name, so we just call him Xion. He likes it.”

Hongjoong smiles at the story. That’s always how Youngjo was — welcoming and caring. Captain of the  _ Valkyrie _ , one of the nicest pirate ships he’s ever set his eyes on, he and his crew were mostly infamous for stealing from rich cargo ships that carried new luxuries to even richer people. They were labeled by the high society members as fear-inducing thieves, criminals, vandals, but only the pirate scene knew where their loot went to. Many poor communities that were stranded on wasteland planets or on marginalized areas owed Youngjo’s crew for helping them survive. Of course, the boys never actually asked from something in exchange, happy to help when they could. 

Youngjo and Hongjoong had met in the Academy, when the former was almost graduating. They became friends quickly and, after Youngjo left, they kept in contact. It was funny, how both of them became pirates later on, even their respective crews befriending each other too. Of course, with the task of looking for the Treasure, there hasn’t been much time for them to catch up, so Hongjoong thanks Lady Fate for making them bump into each other at this colony.

“I’m glad to hear that you gave this boy a new home.” he says, proudly. “I’m sure he’s happy with you and the others.”

“He is.” Youngjo nods. “We all love him already. Can’t live without our new youngest.”

“Oh, I’m sure Hwanwoong and Keonhee are stoked about not being the babies anymore.”

The older man snorts. “You bet they are. Speaking of Woong, tell Mingi he said hi. He misses him.”

“I will.”

Silence falls, and Hongjoong wonders if that’s the sign their conversation came to an end. Well, apparently not, because Youngjo makes a motion to speak up again, only this time walking closer as if he’s sharing a secret.

“So.” he starts, a smug side-smile taking over his face. “I heard you and Captain Park Seonghwa are allies now? What happened to hating his guts?”

Hongjoong scoffs. “I never  _ hated _ his guts-”

“You refused to be in the same room as him.”

“Yes, but I still think hate is a strong word. I still dislike him, if that’s what you’re wondering. But we’re working out our differences for the sake of a greater good.”

“Must be something important.” Youngjo laughs. “If it got you two to work together.”

“I’m not telling you, if that’s what you’re wondering.” the younger says. “I trust you, but who knows who’s listening in the streets.”

“I get it, Joong.” his friend places a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t expect you to say it. I just find it funny that you two are coexisting in peace. I thought I’d see galactic whales being friendly before seeing you two be civil to each other.”

“Good to know you have that much faith in me.” Hongjoong teases. “And it’s not always peaceful, like you implied. We have our fights. Sometimes. Not often. For the sake of our journey.”

Youngjo laughs again, shaking his head in disbelief. “I don’t know why am I surprised. You two are the most stubborn and petty people I know. I’m just glad no one is dead or injured yet.”

“Oh, shut up, will you?” the younger slaps his arm. “Our fights are never physical. We just argue.”

“Uh huh. You know, for a while I thought your whole feud was unresolved sexual tension. From both sides. I still haven’t ruled that out.”

At that, Hongjoong turns a deep red, rivaling the color of his hair. “You- We’d never-  _ I _ would never- Why would you ever  _ consider _ that?”

“You’d be surprised at how many people agree.” the older pirate snickers. “There are some flirtatious undertones when you argue, sometimes-”

“Wait-  _ More  _ people think that Seonghwa and I…?”

“Aw, you’re on a first name basis now. That’s sweet. Character development, as they call it.”

At this point, Hongjoong resembles a freshly ripe tomato and Youngjo can’t stop laughing at his reactions. 

“Well, just so you know, and make sure to tell that to people that have… The wrong idea about Seonghwa and I, I’d never think of him that way. I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual. We could never be in a… God, I can’t even say it- A  _ relationship _ or something of the sorts. I don’t even know if we can be friends. So no. Major no.”

The older man throws his hands up in mock-defeat. “Alright, alright, message received. Kim Hongjoong and Park Seonghwa will never,  _ ever _ have a relationship that’s not strictly professional- Ouch!” he yelps as Hongjoong hits his arm again. “What did I do this time? I was just repeating what you told me-”   
  


“You were  _ mocking _ me!” the red-haired man hits Youngjo again, for good measure. “What happened to being nice to your friends?”

“Sorry, poking fun at you is so much fun.” the taller grins. “It’s been a while since I did that. I’m just making up for lost time.”

“Why am I your friend again?”

“Because we met once at the Academy and clicked like long lost brothers.” Youngjo shoots finger guns at Hongjoong and then ruffles his hair. “I missed you. When you’re done with whatever is your current mission, let’s reunite the gangs and hang out. You can even bring your new friend Seonghwa.”

“He’s  _ not _ my friend.” the younger grumbles. “But of course, I’ll contact you after our journey ends.” his face falls a little, turning somber. “It might take a while, though.”

“We’ll still be here.” Yougnjo pats his shoulder fondly. “Don’t die out there. Or get anyone killed.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, I won’t. Thanks for worrying, though.”

“When do I not?” the older laughs. “It was nice seeing you, Joong. But I think we both gotta go now.”

Hongjoong nods. “My crew is probably wondering where the hell I went. Gotta make sure they don’t think I’m dead.”

“Then go. Tell them I said hi.”

“I will. Bye, Youngjo.”

“Bye, Joong. See you around.”

They part with a hug, a gesture between old friends that spent a while without seeing each other. Hongjoong tries to keep himself optimistic, to think that it won’t take too long before he takes up on Youngjo’s invitation to hang out together, that they’re close to finding the Treasure and achieving their lifelong dream and finally saving Jongho.

A little devil on his shoulder, however, tells him they have a long metaphorical road ahead of them still.

  
  
  
  


After they’re done with buying supplies, Hongjoong’s crew meets up with Seonghwa’s in front of one of the many restaurants that populate the colony’s shopping district. Wooyoung is the one who suggests they enter to get something to eat, proclaiming he’s starving and they all deserve it after walking around for so long. The prices are reasonable, and the menu seems appealing even to San — who, they learn, has the tastebuds of a child.

They all eat in silence, save from a few points of conversation between one or two people. Some of them are particularly tired after walking around so much, so they use the meal time to recharge their energies.

The boys finish their food and pay — not leaving without a quick argument involving splitting the bill. In the end, Seonghwa pays for all of their food, rolling his eyes and saying they all owe him in the future.

When they’re finally heading to the ship, Hongjoong leading the group, some of the boys stay behind to check out the displays at some stalls they haven’t seen yet. Not noticing it, the captain keeps walking, until he’s abruptly surprised by a person appearing right in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

“Captain Kim Hongjoong, isn’t it?”

The stranger is an older man, probably in his 40’s, wearing dark clothes and bearing a pirate insignia on the lapel of his jacket. He has a smirk on his face that borders on condescending, and that’s enough to make Hongjoong suspicious.

“Yeah? Who are you?”

“I’m Sejun. I heard a few interesting things about you.”

Hongjoong crosses his arms. He definitely does not like where this is going. “Such as?”

“Oh, you know.” the man grins. “How you’ve got a map that leads to the Treasure.”

At this, Hongjoong’s blood goes cold. Because that sentence implies many things: first of all, this man must have very well-hidden ears all around the galaxy, because he’s never talked openly about his map in public. The only person who actively knew about it is Seonghwa, and that’s Hongjoong’s fault for letting the information slip during an argument — a private, away from the common ears argument. And, honestly, Seonghwa might have a lot of character flaws such as being an arrogant asshole, but the man has morals. He’s not a snitch, that’s for sure. Hongjoong doesn’t know how this guy got the information, but he’s certain it wasn’t from Seonghwa.

Second of all, Sejun is clearly interested in the map. Hongjoong isn’t sure if this guy follows some sort of code, or if he belongs to the part of the pirate community that’s less interested by minimal ethics, so he doesn’t know the lines the man is willing to cross to get his hands on the map.

Third of all, Hongjoong remembers that his map alone doesn’t lead to any particular location. It only leads to the Treasure when paired with its counterpart — which would be Seonghwa’s map. The guy hadn’t mentioned a second map. Does he have one of his own? Or does he think only one is needed? Depending on the answers to these questions, and the pirate’s own intentions,  _ maybe _ Hongjoong could get the situation to work in his favor. 

He’s debating whether to tell Sejun the truth or lie about his possession of the map when someone slides into the space between him and the guy, blocking his vision.

“Fuck off, Sejun.” it’s Seonghwa’s voice. What is he  _ doing _ ? “Quit harrassing the man because of a dumb rumor.”

“Oh, you’re buddies now?” the guy asks, sarcasm dripping from his words.

“We’re allies.” Seonghwa says. “Unfortunately, I’m yet to tell Hongjoong about your sly ways of getting dubious information and trying to take advantage of people over it.”

“You two know each other?” Hongjoong questions.

“We’ve met a couple of times.” the blonde in front of him scowls, eyes still locked on the older pirate, trying to establish some sort of dominance. “I saved his ass by accident once. He’s in debt with me.”

Now, Hongjoong is impressed. He’s never been one for conflict — he’s thought about it, and he’s wanted to indulge in it quite often, mostly out of indignation with the fact that bad things were being done. But he’s never got involved with mercenaries, old school blood-thirsty pirates, none of the bad guys. He’s crossed paths with thieves, at most, but those are so common and are gone so quickly that they barely count as danger anymore. He never thought, however, that out of all people  _ Seonghwa _ would get involved with the middle-ground of space crime. Poised, collected, straight-faced Captain Park Seonghwa, mingling with info dealers, bribers and who knows what else. Huh. Who would’ve known.

“You make it sound like I’m way worse than I actually am, Park.” Sejun comments. “I just wanted a fair trade.”

“He doesn’t even  _ have _ a map. I would know.”

“Well, there must be  _ something _ , for you to be protecting him with such fierceness. Or you’re scared he’s too innocent to handle a deal with a mercenary? Does he not know how to stand up for himself?”

“Hongjoong can defend himself just fine, better than me, even. We just don’t have time for your little games, Sejun. We were about to leave when you approached him. This is me putting a quick end to this conversation so we can actually get to our ship.”

The man gasps ironically. “You sure are a protective ally. What are you in a hurry for, then, if there’s no Treasure map? And why are you allies at all? What made you quit being at each other’s throats?”

“We said there’s no map.” Hongjoong speaks up, walking closer to the guy. “Not that we’re not looking for the Treasure. Learn to interpret words, if information is so valuable to you. We decided to join forces because, rivalry aside, I can admit Seonghwa is an exceptional pirate and expeditioner. His crew members have skills that compliment mine, and we’re not opposed to co-leadership. We’re allies looking for the Treasure because two brains work better than one. It’s not that hard to grasp.”

“Park was right.” Sejun chuckles. “You sure  _ are _ feisty.”

Hongjoong feels a strange feeling of complicity when he sees Seonghwa roll his eyes at the man’s words.

“I still don’t get it, though.” the older pirate continues. “Why him?”

“We have history.  _ Bad _ history, but we do. I’m not familiar with other pirates. Better the devil I know, correct?”

“I suppose.” the man shrugs. “But I still think you have a map. My intel is never wrong.”

“Believe whatever the fuck you want to believe.” Seonghwa quips. “The thing is, whatever is in our possession, you’re not fucking getting it.  _ I’m _ not willing to trade with you, and neither is Hongjoong. You’re not getting anything from us, and I’d appreciate it if you’d left us alone.”

The pirate scowls. “I’m not leaving without the map. Or whatever you two are hiding.”

“Yes. Yes, you are.” the blonde steps closer and jabs a finger on the man’s chest. “Because, if it wasn’t for me looking for survivors in that burning cargo ship, you wouldn’t be here right now, pestering people and bullying them into accepting your terms of trading. Without me, you’d be  _ dead _ . And I expect you to own up to that by staying out of my fucking way.”

Hongjoong feels his face heat up as he watches their exchange, and his breath hitches as his eyes land on Seonghwa staring at the man, hard and unwavering. He doesn’t move, doesn’t flinch, he just waits for the older pirate to give up on pestering them, using his cold gaze to maintain the notion that he wasn’t joking around.

_ As if those words weren’t enough _ , Hongjoong thinks. 

When Sejun finally backs away, it’s with a disdainful click of his tongue, but with an air of understanding. After all, there’s no denying that he  _ does _ owe his life to Seonghwa. 

“Okay. You’re right.” he says. “I’ll keep out of your hair. But that’s all I’m gonna do. Don’t expect me to go out of my way to protect you and your friends as repayment.”

“I don’t.” Seonghwa crosses his arms. “Just keeping a distance is enough. Make sure you don’t get into more life-endangering situations, though, or I could save you again and have you extend your debt.” he adds with a dry chuckle.

“I’d get another fool to save me before you.” Sejun jokes. “Well, I guess I don’t have any business left with you two. I’ll get going.” he half-bows ironically. “Goodbye, Captain Kim, Park.”

“Good fucking riddance.” Seonghwa mutters under his breath after the man is gone.

“What’s your deal with him, anyway?” Hongjoong asks. “He looked shady, of course, and I wasn’t enjoying being cornered, but you seemed to take it more… Personally.”

The blonde sighs. “Well, you probably guessed he’s a Second Gen pirate, and he’s a mercenary of sorts, so his loyalty lies with who gives him more money.” he rolls his eyes as he reminisces about past events. “He ratted me out a while ago, to an Old School guy that almost got Yeosang killed and damaged our ship beyond repair. I guess that’s just how Second Gens are, but I did take it personally. Then, a year later, as I said before, I roamed a burning cargo ship looking for survivors and he was there, hidden, probably stowing. And, because of my noble pride, I couldn’t let him die, so I saved him. At least, that paid off by getting him to leave us alone right now.”

Hongjoong tries to find words, but doesn’t. The story itself isn’t the catch, but the fact that not only Seonghwa has history with Second Generation pirates, but also with Old Schools. He respected the blonde as a pirate before, but now he does it even more. It takes some guts to put up with the more gruesome type of pirates, and Seonghwa seems to be well-versed in the practice.

Old School pirates are the stereotypical evil pirates, the first ones that ever existed and the ones that still perpetuate that lifestyle. Ruthless, bloodthirsty, doing bad things for the hell of it and not hesitating at all to take a life without reason. Thankfully, they’re considerably scarce at the present time, but some of them still roam, causing chaos. 

Second Generation pirates are what people call the mercenaries, schemers, thieves and people of the sorts. They’re not nice, but are less destructive than the Old Schools. Some of them are civil enough you can hold a conversation and a bargain with and, though they wouldn’t hesitate to sell you out for some money, they’re not likely to kill a person for their own pleasure. 

Hongjoong had never actually encountered any of those, save from, as mentioned before, random thieves, and one time he and his crew crossed paths with a mercenary’s ship, getting out of there as soon as they realized what kind of pirate they were stumbling upon. Really, he’s in this life for freedom and adventure, as many of the younger generation of pirates also are, so he tries as much as it’s in his power to keep interaction with the “bad guys” to a minimum.

Seonghwa, on the other hand, seems to have scruffles with Second Gens for breakfast. Or he’s really unlucky.

“So, is that a… Common occurrence for you?” Hongjoong asks, warily.

“Kinda.” Seongha brushes it off. “Not for you?”

“I tend to stay out of conflict.”

“I see. Smart move.”

“What, you’re not gonna make fun of me for avoiding other pirates?”

The blonde raises an eyebrow. “Why would I?”

“You did when I told you I didn’t go to the Academy to become a captain.”

“That was years ago. Believe it or not, Hongjoong, people change.”

“And did you?” Hongjoong quips.

Seonghwa lets out a sigh and looks down. “I don’t know. But I don’t think like that anymore.”

Hongjoong waits for a full apology, or something. He doesn’t get any, or any words, for that matter. The most benevolent part of his brain reasons that talking about this is probably hard for Seonghwa too — the man has  _ pride _ , and admitting to being in the wrong takes some guts. It’s not something you accept easily yourself, even more when you spend a good while of your life thinking you’re right.

The thing is, the stubborn part of Hongjoong’s brain is much louder, especially when dealing with the blonde.

So he frowns at the other’s silence, annoyed, and doesn’t press the subject any further.

A few moments pass, and Hongjoong figures he should thank Seonghwa for standing up for him earlier, when he didn’t know what was going on with Sejun yet. He sighs, and ducks his head.

“Thank you.” he mutters.

“Hm?”

“When that guy cornered me and started being, uh, pushy about the map.” Hongjoong gestures vaguely. “You didn’t need to stand up to me and confront him, but you did, so thanks.”

“I did, though. I told you, I have a personal problem with him. I don’t want him meddling in our business, and I don’t want you and your crew getting involved with him either. So.”

“Still. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, I guess.” Seonghwa chuckles. “This is so weird.”

“What? Me thanking you?”

“Yeah. Never thought I’d see that happening.”

“I never thought I’d need to thank you for something either, so I guess we’re even.”

The blonde hums in agreement, and they fall into silence again, standing awkwardly side by side in the middle of the street, just a few feet away from the docks.

“We should get going.” Hongjoong says. “Where are the rest of the boys?”

As if on cue, the other six members of their conjoined crew appear rounding a nearby corner, almost all of them with bags in hand. The captain notices a skewer with some sort of local street food stuffed into Wooyoung’s mouth and his lips twitch in a fond smile. He beckons them all over with a hand.

“Captain, you should’ve checked out the street vendors with us.” Jongho comments as soon as they approach. “They were selling so much cool stuff. Mingi bought a bunch of souvenirs and…” he trails off. “You look a little tired.”

“Seonghwa and I encountered an annoying Second Gen while you guys were out.” Hongjoong explains. “It drained my mood a little.”

“A Second Gen?” Mingi raises an eyebrow. “Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, he left us be after…” the captain gestures vaguely at Seonghwa. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll leave us alone.”

“Wait.” Yeosang interrupts, connecting the dots and turning to the blonde. “Sejun was  _ here _ ? What did he want?”

“What does he always want?” Seonghwa answers, rhetorically. “Like Hongjoong said, it doesn’t matter. I reminded him of his debt and he said he wouldn’t bother us anymore. Now, shouldn’t we get going?”

There’s a chorus of “yeah”s and “sure”s, and the older ushers them all towards the ship like they’re baby chicks. Hongjoong stifles a chuckle at the sight, but the other man notices.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just… The way you just coddled them, even the members of my crew. It was funny. In a nice way.”

“It’s a habit.” Seonghwa shrugs. “Technically, they’re under my care now too, so it’s only natural I treat them like my own crew. We talked about this; you’re the same with mine.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Hongjoong says. “But it was an interesting sight. Like father duck and his ducklings.”

The blonde groans and rolls his eyes. “That’s one of the silliest things you’ve ever said to me, and you have quite the record. Also, you’re being too nice to me today, I’m getting suspicious.”

“You want me to go back at calling you an asshole every five minutes?”

“No, just-” he sighs. “Nevermind, you’re back at being your regular annoying self. You’re insufferable, did you know that?”

“Likewise.” Hongjoong can’t help but grin. “Can we go back to the ship now?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

When they get back on board, San walks to his quarters to take a well-deserved break and Wooyoung takes his place behind the wheel. They leave the moon colony easily and, after that, it’s the routine Hongjoong has come to know.

He goes to his quarters as well, to rest, and falls asleep as soon as his body hits the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you made it here, thank you for reading <3 thank you for you patience as well, and i hope you liked it!! ik those are famous last words for a wip but im not giving up on this story dont worry... if you want, feel free to leave some feedback, they do a lot for my motivation!! again, thank you for reading, see you next chapter!!
> 
> [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/spacehwas) | [curiouscat](curiouscat.qa/QIONGL1N)

**Author's Note:**

> thats it for now!! thank you for giving this a read, and pls leave some feedback if you'd like, it's very appreciated and keeps me motivated!! thanks again, and see you all next chapter <3


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